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A few days ago I was sitting with some friends at a locale cafe called "You Say Tomato". While drinking our ritual Saturday morning cups of coffee the conversation turned to the U.S. Flag. This was brought on because I have a U.S. Flag pin on my jacket. There was some discussion about how the flag has become idolized; the importance of the symbolism of the flag was questioned; the idea that the flag is not aesthetically pleasing was mentioned; and the controversy surrounding some of our Presidential candidates and politicians who do not wear a U.S. Flag lapel pin and as a result have their patriotism called into question.While thinking about writing this blog today I thought I would address all of the above points that were part of the discussion while at Coffee Talk the other day. Instead, I have decided to write about what this national symbol means to me. I am taking this approach because we all have varying ideas about our flag, about our government, political views, religious views, and many other things. So the meaning that I place on our Flag may be very different from anyone else. The one thing I did not mention during the conversation is that the U.S. Flag pin that I have on my jacket is the pin that my grandmother wore while I was deployed in 1991 with the 1st Infantry Division during Operations Desert Shield and Storm. Not only does this U.S. Flag pin have patriotic meaning for me but it also has a very sentimental meaning to me. I wear this pin because of the sentimental value I place on it, because I am a combat veteran of the U.S. Army, and because I value what the U.S. Flag represents for me. I do not question anyone’s patriotism on the basis of whether or not they wear a U.S. Flag pin or not. It is my personal choice of expression just as it is another’s personal choice not to express. In my opinion (I have not studied Constitutional Law) both of these freedoms are protected under Amendment 1 of the United States Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”With that being said, what does the Flag of the United States mean to me? The Flag is more than just cloth that waves in the wind from a pole jutting up from the ground. The Flag is the symbol of a nation that was forged from a confederacy against the British. It represents the struggles and sacrifices that our founding leaders and citizens had to overcome in order to create a nation that would become a model for many others. The flag represents all of the immigrants who have come and who continue to come to this country with hopes of creating a better life for themselves and their families. The Flag to me represents the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and our government. It represents all veterans who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States to protect our nation: from the Revolution to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Flag represents all the protected freedoms that we enjoy as citizens of the United States. The Flag stands for liberty and justice.Because I wear a U.S. Flag pin on my jacket does not mean that I agree with everything that our government does. I have been very outspoken about the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but I still fully support and respect the members of our Armed Services for their sacrifices. I find it fundamentally wrong to question a persons patriotism based on whether or not they wear a U.S. Flag pin; or whether or not they agree with the policies of this current Administration. As United States citizens we have the freedom to disagree and question what our government does without fear of being imprisoned because of our political views.In closing, there is a great song by Johnny Cash that I love called “Ragged Old Flag” (lyrics/video). About the Flag of the United States, George Washington is credited for saying: “We take the stars from Heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing Liberty.”
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