We haven’t seen it for ourselves, so take this with a grain of salt, but we have heard that foreign nationals are fascinated and amused by America’s obsession with its national flag.
Apparently, in other countries, it is not common to see the nation’s colors plastered on everything with a suitable surface, although at least one source we consulted reports Scandinavians are noted for a similar attachment to their flags.
We think about this in light of Richard McFarland’s project to line the Main Streets of the Twin Villages with American flags. We have to admit, looking down Main Street, it is a stirring sight.
Our devotion to the flag is nice, but we should always remember the flag is a symbol, not a decoration. It symbolizes our great nation, warts and all; whether it is an actual waving in the breeze model, or a faded decal stuck in the back window of a weather-beaten, rusted-out pickup truck.
If the upside of such devotion is pride of place, the downside is reducing the nation’s most powerful symbol to something akin to a fashion accessory.
We have heard more than one aging veteran grumble about the disrespect shown the nation’s flag and we agree. As WWII veteran Joe Gray tells us this week, the appropriate thing to do when the colors pass is stand at attention, head uncovered. We would add a hand over heart is optional.
Memorial Day is a bittersweet holiday. It is a day to honor the fallen, a day of sorrow. It is also a day off from work. Like most Americans, we will take our turn for a barbecue any chance we can get; this is the day set aside for remembering how such leisure came about.
It came about because a few Americans have paid the ultimate price for our freedom.
These old men complaining about parade spectators disrespecting the flag today were once the young bucks carrying that flag into battle. If they are dissatisfied with the way their fellow citizens respect the flag, they have earned the right to be critical.
They carried the standard when it counted, and they lived to come home.
