Red, White and Pink?
by Pastor Chuck Roots, Ripon (CA) FMC

A nation's flag is intended to engender pride and respect, and to promote a sense of everything that is right about a country and its values. Patriotism is an indefinable intangible that is more felt — or known in the regions of the heart — than something reproducible.

Americans are arguably the biggest flag-wavers in the entire world. In my travels I have seen the American flag flying in a wide variety of locations. Most notably, a sense of real excitement surges in the breast at the sight of the Stars and Stripes fluttering proudly in the breeze atop an American embassy. This was wonderfully portrayed in the movie Not Without My Daughter when the American woman (Sally Fields) and her on-screen daughter managed to escape from Iran. Their harrowing journey finally had them arriving in Turkey. As they wandered through the streets of a strange city, they suddenly glimpsed a large American flag waving behind a grove of trees. They had found the American embassy!

Notable moments when the flag has been proudly displayed are part of our collective American memory. Although most of us were not present for many of these events, our pride in our country gives us a feeling of actually having witnessed them.

• How can we not feel the excitement of Francis Scott Key penning the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner" while a prisoner on a British ship? We declare that inspired moment every time we sing our national anthem. The whole song is about the flag still flying despite an awful barrage all night long. There she stood, tattered and torn, yet still flying proudly in defiance of her enemies.
• Those of us who have served in the Marine Corps hold dear the magical moment when five Marines and one sailor raised the flag atop Mount Suribachi on the blood-soaked island of Iwo Jima in February 1945. Flags of Our Fathers is an excellent book about this patriotic moment and the men who raised the flag.
• Many of us remember when American astronauts planted the American flag on the moon in July 1969, fulfilling President John F. Kennedy's challenge to have a man on the moon within the decade. That was quite a feat, and was a welcome bit of news for Americans at that time — who were dealing with the Vietnam War, campus activism, inner-city race riots, free love, drugs, etc. For a brief moment, at least, we could celebrate being Americans again.
• After 9-11, the American flag was flying high and proud. We saw it hanging on freeway overpasses, protruding from car windows on specially made plastic staffs to withstand the force of the wind, and flying from many homes in every neighborhood. My heart would swell with pride simply driving down the street! It is a time I will never forget.

But something has happened. Many of the flags no longer fly in front of homes. Those that are flying look run-down, tattered and faded. Flags flown over businesses are typically torn. Their white stripes have become a dingy gray, the blue field is purplish, and the red stripes are — pink!

The flag deserves to be treated with respect, for it embodies the freedoms we share as citizens of the greatest country in the world.

I have done some checking. You can order an American flag for your home online that will run you from $8 to $25. Flags flown over business establishments cost $150 to $180.

So, here is my proposal. Write into your annual budget (business or family) the amount needed to purchase a new flag. Every year. This way you will never have a disheveled flag.

And keep this in mind: most American Legion posts regularly conduct a dignified flag-burning ceremony, often on Flag Day, June 14. Contact your local American Legion post and inquire about the availability of this service.

My friends, take a moment to look closely at the flag that flies from your home or place of business. What do you see?

Do the right thing.