Old Glory, a Symbol of Freedom
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THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE I remember this one teacher. To me, he was the greatest teacher, a real sage of my time. He had much wisdom. We were all reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and he walked over. Mr. Lasswell was his name … He said: “I’ve been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester and it seems as though it is becoming monotonous to you. If I may, may I recite it and try to explain to you the meaning of each word. I – me, an individual, a committee of one. Pledge – dedicate all my worldly goods to give without self-pity. Allegiance – my love and my devotion. To the Flag – our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Where ever she waves, there is respect because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody’s job. Of the United – that means that we have all come together. States – individual communities that have united into 48 states, 48 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose, all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that’s love of country. Of America And to the Republic – a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. For which it stands One nation – meaning, so blessed by God. Indivisible – incapable of being divided. With liberty – which is freedom and the right of power to live one’s life without threats or fear or some sort of retaliation. And justice – The principle or quality of dealing fairly with others. For All – Which means it’s as much your country as it is mine. Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance – “Under God”. Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said, “That’s a prayer” and it would be eliminated from schools too? Correct Method of Folding the United States Flag Start Step 1 Fold the lower striped section of the flag over the blue field. Step 2 Folded edge is then folded over to meet the open edge. Step 3 A triangular fold is then started by bringing the striped corner of the folded edge to the open edge. Step 4 Outer point is then turned inward parallel with the open edge to form a second triangle. Step 5 Triangular folding is continued until the entire length of the flag is folded in the triangular shape with only the blue field visible. Completed OLD GLORY For over two hundred years, America’s flag has remained a symbolic link between the Founding Fathers and citizens of every generation. A Star Spangled Banner proclaiming our unity, our ideals and our achievements as a Nation. A red, white and blue beacon of freedom for all mankind. Battle torn, but still able to spark the deepest flames of patriotism and loyalty. Recognized by past and present generations as the common thread that binds together common goals to form this great nation – THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Since the beginning of time there have been may wars fought in the name of freedom. Fortunately, for America, we won our war for liberty and since that time freedom has become synonymous with America. Our freedom was earned at the cost of many lives and we must nurture that liberty by developing patriotic citizens. REMEMBER – We must Always respect our Flag and teach the Pledge of Allegiance to the young people of our Country. Let us RING THE BELLS AND TELL THE PEOPLE. I AM YOUR FLAG I WAS BORN ON June 14, 1777. I am more than just cloth shaped into a design. I am the refuge of the World’s oppressed people. I am the silent sentinel of Freedom. I am the emblem of the greatest sovereign nation on Earth. I am the inspiration for which American Patriots gave their lives and fortunes. I have led your sons into battle from Valley Forge to the bloody ridges of Vietnam. I walk in silence with each of your Honored Dead to their final resting place beneath the silent White Crosses, row upon row. I have flown through Peace and War, Strife and Prosperity, amidst it all I have been respected. My Red Stripes …. Symbolize the blood spilled in defense of this glorious nation. My White Stripes… signify the burning tears shed by Americans who lost their sons. My Blue Field … is indicative of God’s heaven under which I fly. My Stars … clustered together; unify 50 States as one, for God and Country. “Old Glory “ is my nickname and proudly I wave on high. Honor me, respect me and defend me with your lives and your fortunes. Never let my enemies tear me down from my lofty position, lest I never return. Keep alight the fires of patriotism; strive earnestly for the spirit of your Republic. Worship Eternal God and keep His commandments and I shall remain the bulwark of peace and freedom for all mankind. I AM YOUR FLAG Freedom Isn’t Free By Cadet Major Kelly Strong USAF JROTC I watched the flag pass by one day It fluttered in the breeze A young soldier saluted it and then He stood at ease I looked at him in uniform So young, so tall, so proud With hair cut square and eyes alert He’d stand out in any crowd I thought how many men like him Had fallen through the years How many died on Foreign soil? How many mother’s tears? How many Pilots’ planes shot down? How many foxholes were soldier’s graves? No – Freedom isn’t free I heard the sound of taps one night, When everything was still I listened to the bugler play And felt a sudden chill I wondered just how many times That Taps had meant “Amen” When a flag had draped a coffin Of a brother or a friend I thought of all the children, Of mothers and the wives, Of fathers, sons and husbands With interrupted lives I thought about a grave yard at the Bottom of the sea Of unmarked graves in Arlington. No -Freedom isn’t free I AM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA . I was born on July 4th and the Declaration of Independence is my birth certificate. I am the United States of America! The blood lines of the world run in my veins because I offered freedom to the oppressed. I am 240,000,000 living souls and the ghost of millions who have lived and died for me. A million and more of my countrymen have died for freedom and I am their monument. My ancestors left their blood on the green at Lexington and the snow at Valley Forge, on the walls of Fort Sumter and the fields at Gettysburg. On the waters of the river and the sands of Okinawa, on the bare, bleak hills called Pork Chop, Old Baldy and Heartbreak Ridge. I am Nathan Hale and Paul Revere. I stood at Lexington and fired the shot heard ’round the world. I am Washington, Jefferson and Patrick Henry. I am John Paul Jones, the Green Mountain Boys, Davy Crockett. I am Lee, Grant, Lincoln and Truman. I am the Brooklyn Bridge, the wheat fields of Kansas and the granite hills of Vermont. I am the coal fields of the Virginias and Pennsylvania. I am the fertile fields of the West, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Grand Canyon. I am Independence Hall, the Monitor and the Merrimac and I am the space ship Challenger. I am Big. I sprawl from the Atlantic to the Pacific, three million square miles of throbbing industry and farming. I am more than 5,000,000 farms. I am forest and field, mountains and deserts. I am quiet villages, busy cities that never sleep. You can look at me and can see Ben Franklin walking down the streets of Philadelphia with his loaf of bread under his arm. You can see Betsy Ross with her needle. You can see lights of Christmas and hear the strains of “Auld Land Syne” as the calendar turns. I am Babe Ruth and the world series. I am the laughter of a small boy as he watches a circus clown’s antics. I am the light of triumph in the eyes of a six year old boy as he reads aloud for the first time. I am 175,000 schools and colleges and 275,000 churches where people worship God as they think best. I am a ballot dropped in a box, an editorial in a newspaper and a letter to a congressman. I am Eli Whitney and Stephen Foster. I am Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein and Billy Graham. I am Horace Greeley, Will Rogers and the Wright Brothers. I am George Washington Carver, Daniel Webster and Jonas Salk. I am Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Walt Whitman and Thomas Paine. Yes, I am the nation and these are the things I am. I was conceived in freedom and God willing, in freedom will I spend the rest of my days. May I always possess the integrity, the courage and the strength to keep myself unshackled, to remain a citadel of freedom and a beacon of hope to the world. “THE SPIRIT OF HOPE And FREEDOM WHITE CROSSES IN THE MOONLIGHT We saw these snow-white crosses In the moonlight on the hill: We heard soft voices singing, We hear them singing still. They sing a song of triumph, Their battles have been won, They shoulder no more weapons- Sweat out a tropic sun.