Take out a one dollar bill. The one dollar bill you're looking at
first came off the presses in 1957 in its present design.

This so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend,
with red and blue minute silk fibers running through it. It is
actually material.

We've all washed it without it falling apart. A special blend of
ink is used, the contents we will never know.

It is overprinted with symbols and then it is starched to make it
water resistant and pressed to give it that nice crisp look.

If you look on the front of the bill, you will see the United
States Treasury Seal.

On the top you will see the scales for a balanced budget.

In the center you have a carpenter's square, a tool used for an
even cut.

Underneath is the Key to the United States Treasury.

That's all pretty easy to figure out, but what is on the back of
that dollar bill is something
we should all know.

If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles. Both circles,
together, comprise the Great Seal of the United States.

The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and
a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to
accomplish this task and another two years to get it approved.

If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a Pyramid. Notice
the face is lighted, and the western side is dark. This country
was just beginning. We had not begun to explore the West or
decided what we could do for Western Civilization. The Pyramid is
uncapped, a gain signifying that we were not even close to being
finished.

Inside the capstone you have the all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol
for divinity.

It was Franklin's belief that one man couldn't do it alone, but a
group of men, with the help of God, could do anything.

"IN GOD WE TRUST" is on the currency. The Latin above the pyramid,
ANNUIT COEPTIS, means, "God has favored our undertaking." The
Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, "A new order
has begun."

At the base of the pyramid is the Roman numeral for 1776.

If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully, you
will learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the United
States.

It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushnell, Florida
National Cemetery, and is the centerpiece of most heroes'
monuments.

Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United
States, and it is always visible whenever he speaks, yet very few
people know what the symbols mean.

The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two
reasons: First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he
is smart enough to soar above it. Secondly, he wears no material
crown. We had just broken from the King of England.

Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This country can now stand
on its own.

At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying congress,
a unifying factor. We are coming together as one nation.

In the Eagle's beak you will read, "E PLURIBUS UNUM," meaning, "one
nation from many people."

Above the Eagle, you have thirteen stars, representing the thirteen
original colonies, and
any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away. Again, we are coming
together as one.

Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive
branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be
afraid to fight to preserve peace.

The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of
war, his gaze turns toward the arrows.

They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost a
worldwide belief. You will usually never see a room numbered 13,
or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor.


But think about this:

13 original colonies,

13 signers of the Declaration of Independence,

13 stripes on our flag,

13 steps on the Pyramid,

13 letters in the Latin above,

13 letters in "E Pluribus Unum,"

13 stars above the Eagle,

13 bars on the shield,

13 leaves on the olive branch,

13 fruits, and if you look closely,

13 arrows.

And, for minorities: the 13th Amendment.

One might ask, "Why don't we know this?" Your children don't know
this, and their history teachers don't know this.

Too many veterans have given up too much to let the meaning fade.
Many veterans remember coming home to an America that didn't care.
Too many veterans never came home at all.

Share this with someone, so they can learn what is on the back of
the UNITED STATES ONE DOLLAR BILL, and what it stands for . . .
otherwise, they might never know.