'Merica Monday

Hey y'all!  This week's 'Merica Monday is about one of the most important symbols of American pride: the flag.  Fifty stars and thirteen bars may not seem important to some people, but to me, the flag is the ultimate representation of our nation and deserves to be treated with utmost respect.

Being in JROTC these past three years has given me a very clear understanding of the importance of the flag and the respect it deserves.  I learned last year that there's actually a Federal Flag Code that details the respectful way to display the flag under several different circumstances.  I find this really interesting and reference it frequently.

Y'all, our flag represents us as a nation.  There's no feeling that can replace raising it up in the morning, looking at it waving beautifully in the wind in a sunny sky, and feeling proud to be an American.  Our flag, like our nation, has endured so much.  It's changed over the years to match the progress we've made as a country, the addition of each star adding more meaning to take pride in.  We see it flown outside of our schools and churches, but do we ever stop to appreciate it?  Not as often as we should.

Not only does the flag represent us, but it defines us.  From the flag patch on the shoulder of the Army Combat Uniform to the flag pin on the President's jacket to the flag your family flies over the 4th of July, the flag is America.  It's the battles we've fought, the victories we've celebrated, and the freedom and liberty we've worked so hard to establish.  So "hoist the Colors to it's peak and let no enemy every haul them down",  because this is our flag, and we've got so many reasons to be proud of it.