Flag Day

 A Flag Retirement ceremony in my little town-I have been asked to speak...


We are here today to honor the symbol of our country and retire a flag which has served its useful life as a symbol of freedom. What is so special about this flag that we should all come together to honor it in this manner? It is so much more that a colorful piece of cloth. For me it is a patch sewn on my childrens’ uniforms as they are serving harm’s way. It is a flag I took an oath to support and defend in my military service. It is a beacon of America on the 4th of July at the American Embassy in Afghanistan. It is a cloth draped over my father's coffin as he is laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. What does this flag mean to you?

The song for Freedom by Avalon captures the stories of many of our fellow Americans. Picture this with me…
Somewhere a trumpet sounds in the night
A soldier is standing there
It’s calling him out to the stars and the stripes
It’s calling him God knows where
He kisses the ones he loves goodbyeand leaves in the dead of night
For freedom he’ll heed the call
Leave all he knows
And for freedom he’ll stand and fight
And somewhere a man and wife can’t believe they’re waving their girl goodbye
For gone are the days of pigtails and curls and candlelight lullabies
If they had their way she’d stay young foreverand never be far from home
But freedom has drawn her heart to danger’s shore
And for freedom they’ll let her go
And somewhere beneath the stars and the sky
Our flag is still standing there
She bled and she brought one land under God
Her colors still lead us there

"I am your Flag. I was born on June 14, 1777. I have led your children into battle from Valley Forge to Vietnam. I have been there though the Civil War, Two World wars, at Gettysburg, Flanders, Korea, the Gulf War, and now in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was there with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and I am here with you now. I have flown through Peace and War. Whether being raised in glory at the Olympic games or lifted above the wreckage of the World Trade center, I am the hope of America.Through strife and Prosperity, and amidst it all, I have always been respected. My red stripes symbolize the blood spilled in defense of this glorious nation. My white stripes, the burning tears shed by Americans who lost their sons and daughters in battle. My blue field represents God’s Heaven under which I fly, and my stars, clustered together, unify the fifty states as one for God and Country. I am "Old Glory" and I proudly wave on high. Honor me, respect me, and defend me with your lives. Never let our enemies tear me down from my lofty position, lest I never return. Keep alight the fires of patriotism, strive earnestly for the spirit of democracy, and keep me always as a symbol of freedom, liberty, and peace in our country. When it comes the time when I am old and faded, do not let me fly in disrepair, rather Retire me from my duties only to replace me with a new flag so that I may continue to symbolize our country. “

Last week I wrote my daughter and told her about this ceremony. She emailed me back from Ghazni Afghanistan. "There she stands by Michael W. Smith will never be the same to me. They played it for the two hours it took at the memorial for Tiexxx and Tomxxxxx(sic soliders killed in Kabul suicide bombing) to come forward, salute, kneel at the boot/rifle/helmet/dog tag display, and then stand and salute again.

There she stands
There she flies
Clear blue sky
Reminds us with red
Of those that died
Washed in white
By the brave
In their strength
She stands
When evil calls itself a martyr
When all your hopes come crashing down
Someone will pull her from the rubble
There she stands
We've seen her flying torn and tattered.
We've seen her stand the test of time.
And through it all the fools have fallen.
There she stands
By the dawn's early light
And through the fight She stands.

Today we will retire this flag that has become worn beyond repair. We will separate the blue field of stars from the red and white stripes. The pieces of cloth that were once a flag will be burned to ashes. The flag of our Nation should always be a strong, vivid symbol of our land and fly brightly in our minds. Our flag is a symbol of our people, our freedom, and our strength. What does this flag mean to you? I hope you never look at it the same way again. May the spirit of this flag be born again in the new flag we will now fly and in our hearts as Americans.