Monday, May 25, 2009

Memorial Day

Our small Memorial Day parade is led by a veterans group carrying an American flag in the front of their group followed by some other flags. Somewhere within the first five groups there are family members of our local military carrying a huge flag by it's edges. In years past, the folks on the sidelines knew to stand and remove their hats as these two flags passed by. Not this year. Maybe that's some of the change upon which Mr. Obama ran. Or, perhaps, having gone so far down the road of political correctness it is simply no longer fashionable to be respectful of our flag. If so, it is a sad and sorry change.

Then, as I was watching, I saw a little girl across the street. She had been given a small flag to wave at the parade. She was hitting it(the flag end) against the ground in time to the music from the marching bands and at other times just let it lay on the street. At one point the father of this little family gave her sister a flag too and she treated it the same way. At the end of the parade, I crossed the street and told the father I didn't mean to be rude but that his little girl was hitting that flag against the ground throughout the entire parade and that every time it hit the ground I just cringed. He apologized.

Am I the only one anymore who thinks that if your child isn't old enough to understand that our flag does not touch the ground, they shouldn't be given one? Or am I just the only one willing to teach my child so?


My sincere thanks to all who have served to preserve my freedom. I appreciate your sacrifices and hold you up in my prayers. May God grant that we who have benefited so greatly from the sacrifices of others hold to our duty to repel the economic, political and cultural attacks meant to deprive us of the freedom that has been so dearly won.

"Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil." Psalm 40:14

12 comments:

West Bend Citizen Advocate said...

I can attest you are not the only one who cringes. My experience, however, was quite the opposite at our local parade.

My granddaughter and her friends, ages 4 to 8, were sitting curbside. When the parade began, the flag approached and, like a wave at the Brewer's game, people got out of their lawn chairs and stood respectfully. I overhead one of the children, who is age 6, say to my granddaughter, who is 4, "you have to put your hand over your heart!!!!!" As the flag passed, the least of them stood at attention with tiny, chubby hands over hearts. That was a spine-tingler, for sure.

Additionally, we continued to stand and applaud the many, many veterans who passed by, shouting "thank you" to them. The little ones, in turn, did the same. Tiny voices, big hearts, lessons learned.

We must continue to teach the younger generation what sacrifice is, and what it has produced for them and the world they live in, specifically. We must also set the example ourselves by reminding our own generation that their actions really do speak loudly and are necessary to uphold the very essence of patriotism and the respect due those who laid down their lives for the teetering freedoms we still enjoy. The communistic undertone of the current government shall not overshadow the hearts of men.

West Bend Citizen Advocate said...

As an aside, both my husband and myself are veterans. Our patriotic roots go deep, as does our thankfulness, having served a collective 12 years in our Armed Forces and truly being able to say we have "walked a mile in another man's boots." We take our American history very seriously and have maintained that passion throughout years with our children and now with our grandchildren.

Call Me Mom said...

I am glad to hear your local parade was more respectful than was the parade in the community in which I live.

My sincere gratitude for the service rendered to our nation by you and your husband.

DR said...

Thank you for posting on this; it absolutely drives me crazy. We teach our children to properly respect the flag, but unfortunately most parents I know don't. At the St. Patricks Day parade I saw several people just throw their flags on the street after the parage ended.

Dr.D said...

I did not go to a parade on Memorial Day, but I did have our flag flying at the house. Unfortunately, as I looked down the street, I could not see any others. I could be because the trees are leafed out, but in years past there have been several visible. I was disappointed.

Call Me Mom said...

DR,
I have seen the same thing. Wasn't there a mention of the delegates at the DNC convention a few years back doing the same thing?
I cringe just thinking about it.

Dr.D.
We don't fly a flag at our home because we don't have anywhere to fly it. We rent so we don't feel that it would be right for us to put up a flagpole or put holes in the exterior of the home to mount a bracket. I don't like putting the smaller "flags on a stick" into the lawn because the staffs are usually too short to keep the flags from touching the ground when pushed in to a point of stability.
If we owned our home, it would be different.

DR said...

Call Me Mom,

You are absolutely right, they threw them in the trash and had bags of them laying on the ground. Disgusting. Some Republicans reclaimed them and used them at our convention.

Dr. D,

I flew mine and I normall have a Bonnie Blue flying from the deck also. It has been lost in action because this Wisconsin weather ruined my bracket. I have to replace it.

Terry Morris said...

I wanted to comment to this post earlier (as in a couple of days ago), but, you know, problems again. Anyway...

No; you're definitely not the only one who's both witnessed and cringed at the sight. Ask my children, a good thump on the head will solve that issue quick, fast, and in a hurry.

I have a flag pole permanently planted (by the works of my own hands) in front of the house. I used to fly the U.S. flag on that pole, day and night (lighted at night, of course). But I'm quickly becoming disenchanted with what the flag has seemingly come to represent. I've even thought of removing it from my blog, and replacing it with ... something else more liberty-representing. At least until this imposter is out of the White House.

Call Me Mom said...

Terry,

I would suggest flying it upside down, but would hate to put in line for a visit from the DHS.
Perhaps replacement with a symbol indicative of our nation's Christian heritage would be appropriate.

Terry Morris said...

Ha!

Can you imagine me and a DHS "official" hashing it out on my front lawn? Yeah; about like the time I got a visit from the Oklahoma "child welfare" division because someone in the neighborhood thought/thinks that homeschooling is the same thing as abuse and neglect.

Anyway, I'm already on the list, so it doesn't matter me at all. What exactly can I do about it, afterall?

I have nothing to fear but fear itself. And you can quote me on that.

DR said...

Terry,

I fly the Bonnie Blue, it fits me perfect; though none of my Yankee neighbors know what it stands for. I have seen a couple of other Bonnie Blues through out town.

I think most of the problems our Republic faces is because people don't have that love for their states like they used to. They always look at everything at a national level.

Call Me Mom said...

Terry,
I do imagine what that confrontation would look like. It inspires me to keep learning and standing on my principles in the face of opposition. ;)

DR,
Perhaps if you make an opportunity to educate your neighbors they will gain an appreciation for state level issues. Good luck.