More than just "Old Glory"

We have this huge flag that flies in the little town where our courthouse and county government are located. The flag stands on top of a hill and is the centerpiece to a beautiful Veteran’s Memorial that was created several years ago. The flag is one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen and on some evenings when the sun is setting and the wind is blowing just right the sight of it just sends chills over me. It’s a sight of scenery that easily can compete with any of the works of Da Vinci and Michelangelo.
I wonder though when people drive by, when they take the time to look, do they see the scenery or do they see what it represents? When I look at the flag as it blows in the wind I think about what it means to so many people; what it stands for to the soldiers who defend our country draped in the cloak of its shadow or to the widows, mothers and fathers who are presented the flag wrapped in that perfect triangle to signify what their loved one died protecting and fighting for.
The red, white and blue piece of cloth that waves from a cord on a pole is more than the product result of a lady named Betsy all those years ago who hand stitched the first one. It’s more than a symbol that we recite words to a pledge in the presence of. The flag is about what it represents. It’s about what the words in the Pledge of Allegiance stand for. It is a representative for our freedoms that we have to worship, to vote, to arm ourselves and so much more. It is 3 colors intertwined that fly to symbolize a nation where we join together to believe our own beliefs, fight for what we stand for and are entitled to have our own opinions.
On Monday night of this week someone stole the flag that flew high on that hill. Whether it was a prank or a mission to see if they could accomplish it – no one knows. But regardless of what the reasoning is behind their motive that substantiates the fact that they have no morals, I can’t understand how this person (or persons) could not feel guilt or remorse for what it is that they have done. I wonder if they thought about how much blood has been shed or how many lives have been sacrificed to protect what that flag stood for. I wonder if when they see a veteran proudly displaying a hat or a medal if they will feel the least bit of remorse for desecrating what symbolizes the freedom that they, as soldiers, fought so hard for.
This past school year my son and two of his friends were given the very distinct honor of raising the flag at the beginning of the day and lowering it as their day closed to an end. I made sure that I took the time to express to them what respect they needed to apply to the job that they were to be doing. I instructed them on the proper way to treat the flag each time that they held it in their hands. And most importantly I reminded them of what that flag represented to not only us as citizens, but also as a country as a whole. It saddens me that some parent(s) never took the time to emphasize to their children the same things that I felt so passionate about relaying to my own child, as well as the others that had the task before them of treating the flag in the manner of which it was deserving.
When my children were old enough to stand on their own at ballgames I taught them to place their hand over their hearts when the Pledge of Allegiance was said and they watched intently as I did the same. I want my children to realize and to know what our country is founded on. I want them to never forget that we have the freedom that we have because so many men and women believed in that freedom, so much so that they were willing to risk their lives for it. I wish that every parent realized the importance of teaching their children to respect the flag and most of all what it symbolizes. It saddens me that through the course of time that parents and adults along the way dropped the ball when it came to teaching their children to respect the very freedom that allows them the opportunity to be put in a position to make the choice of doing what this person (or these individuals) did Monday night to our flag.
To many others, not just myself, that flag was more than "Old Glory", it was more than scenery that stood on the top of that hill. It stood towering over the memorial of men and women that dedicated their hearts and lives to fight for this country. The flag was replaced as quickly as it was noticed to be missing. Unfortunately though, the thought of that glorious flag being thrown in a ditch somewhere or crammed under a bed as a token of remembrance of this act makes my heart sad. And even though she is flying high again - it's the thought that someone had so little respect for her that she had to be replaced.
If you ever have the privilege of driving through Monroe County, TN by way of Highway 411 watch for our flag and I hope that it has the same meaning to you as it does to me and so many other people in our community. And when you see her flying in the wind I hope that it will remind you of what she stands for and that you will smile with pride as you pass by that memorial on the hill.