Labor Day By Hank Silverberg I purchased my current home three years ago. It included something none of the other three houses had: there is a flag pole next to the driveway. The previous owner flew the flag all the time. In fact, he left it up for so long that when I bought the house it was faded and frayed. I took it down and gave it to the local Boy Scout troop for proper disposal. I have my own flag and I fly it on the pole on important patriotic national holidays like July 4 th , Veterans Day, Memorial Day and yes, Labor Day. Some people might not think of Labor Day is in the same category as the fourth of July, but it is. Labor Day is a tribute to achievement of the American worker who built this country from the bottom up, from the ditch digger on the Erie Canal in 1807 to the engineer constructing the Mars 2020 Rover. This year is the 125 th anniversary of Labor Day, which was first recognized in New York City in 1882, and became a federal holi