stormy
05-28-2003, 02:48 PM
This was written for Memorial Day, but I think it's timeless and certainly well worth the time it takes to read it! *
Our Flag Has Meaning
By Daniel P. "Skip" Shaw
Recently I was asked about the flag. It was a pretty innocuous question: "How does that make you feel to watch the flag at colors?" I answered the question and went about my business. Later, while sitting in my stateroom, I reflected on the question and found myself compelled to write down my thoughts. As I wrote, I watched the evening news and noticed a significant number of "embedded" media reporters who are simply amazed at our operations in Iraq. I wonder if they notice the number of U.S. flags sewn on uniforms.
For those in uniform, respect for the flag is ingrained. We have a collective but unspoken understanding. In fact, few probably have thought about the flag any more than I did before I was asked about it. When so many of our comrades are on the front lines and we watch the television to see war in a way that is simultaneously visceral and detached, now is the time to articulate what the flag means to all of us.
I believe the flag is more than merely colored cloth, and it is something less than sacred and mystic fabric. It is one of the great symbols of this nation and of the values we share
This is a keeper----wouldn't it be nice if children were taught this in school? * (http://images.military.com/NewContent?file=NI_F lag_0503)
Our Flag Has Meaning
By Daniel P. "Skip" Shaw
Recently I was asked about the flag. It was a pretty innocuous question: "How does that make you feel to watch the flag at colors?" I answered the question and went about my business. Later, while sitting in my stateroom, I reflected on the question and found myself compelled to write down my thoughts. As I wrote, I watched the evening news and noticed a significant number of "embedded" media reporters who are simply amazed at our operations in Iraq. I wonder if they notice the number of U.S. flags sewn on uniforms.
For those in uniform, respect for the flag is ingrained. We have a collective but unspoken understanding. In fact, few probably have thought about the flag any more than I did before I was asked about it. When so many of our comrades are on the front lines and we watch the television to see war in a way that is simultaneously visceral and detached, now is the time to articulate what the flag means to all of us.
I believe the flag is more than merely colored cloth, and it is something less than sacred and mystic fabric. It is one of the great symbols of this nation and of the values we share
This is a keeper----wouldn't it be nice if children were taught this in school? * (http://images.military.com/NewContent?file=NI_F lag_0503)