Thoughts on the American Flag
I love Old Glory. That’s right. The Star Spangled Banner, the American flag. The school has a very nice flag. It’s larger than standard, but not quite as humongous as the ones hung by some of the companies in Jacksonville. Lit at night, it’s quite beautiful. Of course, I love the flag in any form. The little ones on sticks you can hold in your hand, the standard size that you put up at your elementary school or camp, the small ones you saluted when saying the pledge in class, or the really big ones that fly over factories or are hung for ceremonies. I love hearing the anthem during the Olympics. I also love seeing more than one flag raised at a time for the American champions every two years. This is the flag of the victors, triumphant and mighty.Dad was in the Air Force. This undoubtedly has something to do with my patriotism. Patriotism, not nationalism – the study of history has warned me that the two are very different, and the distinction makes all the difference, even the difference in life or death in many cases. Let’s turn our attention back to Dad. I loved visiting Dad at work at the National Guard as a kid. Planes, men in uniform, check points, security, and finally being allowed on base. I felt so important – that I was worthy enough to be there. They had flags on the jets on base. This is the flag of my father.
I was taught early not to put the flag on the ground, to observe how military personnel responded to the flag, to remember where our anthem came from. Seeing the stars and stripes burned in a foreign country is bad enough. It pains my soul to hear of it happening in American classrooms, by teachers whose salaries come from the pockets of hard working American citizens. This is the flag that is burned and disrespected – yet they have the freedom to do so.
We have a flagpole at camp that was donated in memory of the son of church members who died in Vietnam. I’ve seen many caskets draped in flags – old veterans and young casualties as well. This is the flag of the broken hearted.
The flag has been raised at Fort McHenry, Gettysburg, Iwo Jima, the moon, the World Trade Center’s Ground Zero, and the Pentagon. This is the flag men have died for. The blood of patriots represents their courage in the red stripes. This is the flag of our fathers.
Even now, our soldiers fight in the war zones. This is the flag on their uniforms, the emblem of freedom they are willing to serve for. The idea that they will die for so that strangers, foreigners, even disloyal citizens of their own country, can live in peace, safety, and liberty. This is the ensign of hope. This is the flag of my generation.
I have one last note in closing. I had a teacher who took a small flag from the classroom and placed it on the ground. I was immediately upset. He placed his Bible on the ground to see if it would get the same reaction. His point was clearly and quickly made. The Word of God is the only hope for the lost. This is the standard of righteousness. The Bible is the only beacon of true hope for all.
~Jennifer Bolan
August 25, 2006
Copyright 2006
posted by Jen @ 8:44 PM
4 Comments:
very interesting points - especially the part about patriotism vs. nationalism. i think a lot of people have a big problem with getting those two confused.
and on another point - you're such a good writer! i love it =).
catcher in the rye is adolescent b/c the main protagonist is an adolescent (young college student) himself. and i hate it b/c of all the insane amounts of profanity in it. and i don't think the story is all that good. to me, it takes no skill to put something together using profanity. therefore, i have no respect for the writer.
hey jen! loved the column... question: how do you properly dispose of a flag? I've heard that you are supposed to burn it, but I'm not sure.
good post, not a lot of fluff like most of the stuff I write . . .
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