American Heroes United by the Flag

As the 4th of July weekend approaches, I reflect on my childhood and the lessons my mother taught us about patriotism.  Love for our country and flag were paramount in our learned values.  We stood in our classrooms in our schools, recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and sang patriotic songs.  My mother taught our family to love and respect our country and our flag.  

I have written before about the little ceremony my sisters and I participated in each holiday as we marched our flag down to the end of our driveway, posted it in the holder on the giant elm tree, and saluted as we pledged our allegiance and sang patriotic songs.  It was another world back then.  We were not worried about what our friends would think about this family tradition, because they were also raised to be patriotic.  

Each year, on the 4th of July, we decorated our bikes and rode alongside the veterans and first responders through the center of town for our local parade. Our firefighters were honored citizens, and flags and buntings decked the porches throughout the town. We were taught flag etiquette, at home and in school.  My sisters and I knew how to fold the flag into a tight triangle properly and in our public school, each child was assigned a turn to “post the colors” in the daily flag-raising ceremony. 

Like so many lessons, our mother’s training about respecting our country and our flag has never left me. The act of flag burning for political protest has always been reprehensible to me, though I know it is a powerful form of heartfelt protest, and why it is done.  

I decided to do a little research on the history of flag burning to help me better understand the reasoning behind what many consider to be a treasonous act.  I learned that the first flag burnings started before the Civil War when this country was finding itself divided, state to state, and family to family.  

The next record of protestors burning the flag came during the Vietnam War. At that time, nearly every state made desecrating the flag a crime. Congress passed the first federal anti-desecration law in 1968. 

Eventually, decades later, the Supreme Court decided that flag burning itself was protected speech under the Constitution, ruling that the conviction of flag burners needed to be overturned on the basis that those convictions were made to limit free speech.  

Through my research, I have come to understand that burning the flag is a powerful means for peacefully expressing dissatisfaction because the flag itself is such a powerful symbol.  I can’t say that I agree with this method of protest, but I better understand the act itself.

Feelings are strong and emotions are high all over our country, and the world right now, and patriotism looks different.  Gone are the little ceremonies such as the one my family followed. Emotions about our country still run deep, but they have shifted. We are less insular and more globally-minded. People are responding to hurt, uncertainty, and fear worldwide.  There is much to pray about.  But, the flag. 

A few years back, I came across a news story about the American flag.  It was written as a Kern Valley, California news story.  Kernville is my mother and sister’s hometown, a little valley nestled in the high desert of the Sequoia National Forest.  They had experienced a drought for several years and the countryside was hot, dry, and poised to ignite.  Smokey the Bear signs, warning of the high fire conditions were posted up and down the mountainside.  

For several weeks, fires had consumed the countryside and hundreds of structures were threatened and destroyed.  Fire crews from all over the West Coast had been working for weeks, tirelessly, to bring these fires under control and protect the families living in the valley.  

Above is a photo from their news feed.  It was shared by a grateful citizen whose home was saved by the crew captured in the photo.  And, the tattered flag, mounted on the truck, belonged to the home’s owner.  He thought it had burned in the fire.  

The real story is that the crew found the home, and the flag, on fire when they arrived.  The owner had evacuated, so in the process of saving the home, they rescued the flag and flew it on their engine until the day the fire was finally extinguished.  

The homeowner reported that the crew that rescued his home and his flag hunted him down and found him at work to give the flag back to him. He was so grateful to them, and so moved by their act, for he had taken that flag to Afghanistan and Iraq and was devastated when he thought it had burned in the fire.  

His post in the news feed was to say a heartfelt thank you to the crew of engine 13 of the Kern County Fire Department, for saving and returning the symbol of his service to his country. Imagine, amid all the chaos, those firefighters thought to protect and save this flag, and then to return it to its owner.  There is a lot of pride in this little valley, and daily flags are flying up and down the streets throughout the neighborhoods.  

As you can tell, this story moved me.  It reminded me of all that we have to be proud of as citizens of this great country, and all that we have to be grateful for.    

At Principia School, where I currently serve as Head of School, we continue to honor the American flag as we recite the Pledge of Allegiance during our assemblies.  As an International boarding school, we proudly fly the flags of the 14 countries that are represented in our student body.  

The American flag continues to hold its honored spot in a stand on the stage. As we invite the students and teachers to pledge allegiance to the flag, we add the phrase…” or stand in respectful silence for your home countries.”  I love this.  Each student is reminded that their country and origins are respected and honored.  And, each student knows that we honor our own.  

Change can be very uncomfortable, but it brings us forward.  Having our minds open, listening to other perspectives, and being willing to love, keeps us learning and growing.  Life continues to change and evolve and the rhythms of life ebb and flow.  I continue to be grateful for this great country and the freedoms it affords us.

I wish you all a happy 4th as we celebrate this Independence Day!

Until next time,

Merry

Hard to believe July is already here! So far, my family has danced in the rain, drawn three cloud figures, and played a game of flashlight tag.

Next up this week:

• Create a card or send a letter to a soldier celebrating the 4th of July, America’s Adopt A Soldier, P.O. Box 1049, Springfield, VA 22151
  

• Have a watermelon seed spitting contest and see whose seeds go the farthest. Plant some of the seeds in the ground and see if they grow. Be sure to water them!

• Go to the public library, get a membership card, and check out a book to read.

Have you accepted the Top Ten Summer Activities Challenge? Keep me posted on your progress. The Challenge ends at the end of July! Follow along and share your updates too, @merrysorrellsstoryteller. 

TOP 10 SUMMER ACTIVITIES

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