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Saturday, June 29, 2013

About Our Flag



With Memorial Day & Flag Day recently passed and July 4th approaching, I have noticed a revert back to a decreased number of US flags on home display, both daily and holidays.  There certainly appears to be more patriotism than the pre-911 days when our pride seemed to wane a bit, but when the home flag is finally tattered, they have not been replaced as often as they once had.

Parades still abound, and crowds do form to watch the school bands, fire trucks and veterans of days past march proudly along main streets in hometowns across America.

I belong to an organization that participates in many hometown parades.  While driving one of our vehicles along the parade route I glanced over at the crowd and saw a very elderly Indian man, a recent immigrant, sitting solo. He was smiling and proudly waving a small American flag.  I was touched by his patriotism and thought of my own ancestors who arrived in this country many years ago.  They left behind past lives and allegiances in the hope of beginning anew in freedom and opportunity for themselves and their offspring.

Greg and Dorothy were a brother and sister who had the most patriotism of anyone in the neighborhood.  They loved parades and for weeks afterward they would continue to march through the streets, a flag in each hand smiling and waving proudly until their mother would race frantically looking to retrieve them.  They were very young children and often escaped from the house… in the nude. Like the old Indian gentleman, their heart was in the right place, their clothes were not.

There has been some controversy in the news lately regarding the proper display of the American flag by a rapper, as well as, the flying at haft-staff for Hollywood actors and celebrities who have died.

I have included an interesting link that covers just about everything you need to know about our nation’s symbol.

Please take some time to read the article from ushistory.org then go out and replace that old tattered flag and fly a new one with pride.