FLAG DAY - Hey... Remember Me?

Remember when I led the parade? Hats came off and hands were placed over one's heart as I approached and passed by.

Remember where I have been and what I stand for— ANZIO, NORMANDY, LEYTE, IWO JIMA, KOREA, VIETNAM, IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN and the ongoing war on terror, etc. The memorial honor rolls of those who did not come back are saluted when you salute me.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE...I am RESPONSIBLE as an INDIVIDUAL not to take our freedom for granted and thus to risk losing it.

...AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS...Not a DEMOCRACY (where I speak for myself, you speak for yourself) but a REPUBLIC (a Constitutional Republic governed by law where I am represented). The word DEMOCRACY does not appear in our documents of LIBERTY (The Declaration of Independence, The Articles of Confederation, the Constitution or the Bill of Rights).

...ONE NATION, UNDER GOD...our right to know that LIFE and LIBERTY are GOD-GIVEN RIGHTS, not the GRANT of GOVERNMENT. Our Constitution gives us a government limited to the delegated authority that "WE THE PEOPLE" allotted to each branch of civil government.

...with LIBERTY and JUSTICE for all...LIBERTY is personal and internal. The Liberty Bell and the Statue of Liberty are fitting symbols. JUSTICE is "the virtue which consists in GIVING TO EVERYONE WHAT IS HIS DUE." Thus justice calls for law and equity, right rules and fair play for all. This explains the once prevailing concept in America— PUNISHMENT TO FIT THE CRIME.

To lose the meaning of OUR FLAG is to encourage the loss of our Republican form of government and our God-given, responsible pursuit of LIFE and LIBERTY.

"REMEMBER, O LORD, Thy tender mercies and Thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old. REMEMBER not the sins of my youth, nor my trans- gressions: according to Thy mercy REMEMBER Thou me for Thy goodness' sake, O LORD." (Psalm 25:6-7). "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear Him. For he knoweth our frame; HE REMEMBERETH that we are dust" (Psalm 103:13,14). "REMEMBER ME, O LORD, with the favour that Thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with Thy salvation" (Psalm 106:4).

May you be BOTHERED to the point of being BLESSED. May our GRAND OLD FLAG remind us of our great American HERITAGE, "one nation under God" without Whose grace we cannot survive the erosion and corrosion of our day. May you look to the GOD OF TRUTH in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ (who said, "I am the truth"--John 14:6), so that you might REST in the TRUTH of God's Word ("the truth shall make you free"--John 8:32) and the TRUTH of God's Son ("the Son shall make you free"--John 8:36). To RECEIVE HIM is to receive the LIFE and LIBERTY He alone can give (John 1:12).

When I was a small boy in Vincennes, Indiana, I heard, I think, one of the most outstanding speeches I ever heard in my life. I think it compares with the Sermon on the Mount, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and Socrates’ Speech to the Students.
We had just finished reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and he [Mr. Lasswell, the Principal of Vincennes High School] called us all together, and he says, “Uh, boys and girls, I have been listening to you recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester, and it seems that it has become monotonous to you. Or, could it be, you do not understand the meaning of each word? If I may, I would like to recite the pledge, and give you a definition for each word:

I — Me; an individual; a committee of one.

Pledge — Dedicate all of my worldly good to give without self-pity.

Allegiance — My love and my devotion.

To the Flag — Our standard. “Old Glory”; a symbol of courage. And wherever 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 we have all come together.

States — Individual communities that have united into 48 great states; 48 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose; all divided by imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common cause, and that’s love of country, of America.

And to the Republic — A Republic: a sovereign state in which power is invested into the representatives chosen by the people to govern; and the government is the people; and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

For which it stands

One Nation — Meaning “so blessed by God.”

Indivisible — Incapable of being divided.

With Liberty — Which is freedom; the right of power for one to live his own life without fears, threats, or any sort of retaliation.

And Justice — The principle and qualities of dealing fairly with others.

For All — For All. That means, boys and girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine.

Now let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance
to the Flag of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands;
one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

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 is a prayer” — and that be eliminated from our schools, too?

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/redskeltonpledgeofallegiance.htm

Thank you for posting that! I used to explain the meaning of the words to the children I taught, and also the meaning of lyric of our patriotic songs. I would not allow my Kindergarten children to sing, “sweet land of liver-tree!” It is important that children understand the meaning of the words!

Here is the statement below from our Congressman Allen West for this beautiful Flag Day and birthday of our US Army:

God Bless our US Military!

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This We'll Defend

(WASHINGTON)— Congressman Allen West (R-FL) released this statement today on the 237th birthday of the United States Army and the celebration of Flag Day:

“Today marks the 237th birthday of the United States Army as well as the celebration of our Stars and Stripes, Flag Day.

The Army is the largest and oldest established branch of the United States military, with a primary mission ‘to fight and win our Nation’s wars by providing prompt, sustained land dominance across the full range of military operations and spectrum of conflict in support of combatant commanders.’

I can still remember the details of the day that I was sworn in as an Army Second Lieutenant in 1982. I remember the pride I felt wearing our nation's uniform and the feeling that I was a part of something larger than myself. I knew it was an honor, a privilege, and a responsibility...and I was committed to it wholeheartedly, just as thousands of men and women volunteer to commit themselves today, not because they are forced to, but because they truly want to serve their nation.

It is fitting that the Army's birthday also falls on Flag Day, as the Army's motto is ‘This We'll Defend.’ If it weren't for our brave soldiers defending our nation for the past 237 years, there would be no freedom to fly our flag. In fact, there would be no flag at all.

‘This We'll Defend’ represents the spirit of our Army, in that there is no ‘I’ or ‘Me’, but ‘We’. As soldiers, we are unified to further a mission. On the 237th birthday of the Army and on the celebration of Flag Day, let us as Americans recommit ourselves to the spirit of the Army, that ‘We’ are stronger united than divided, and working together, ‘We’ as Americans will always prevail.”

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