The American Flag
I want to remind every person living in the United States, legally or illegally, the following truth:
A ‘Veteran’ — whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve — is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to ‘The United States of America,’ for an amount of ‘up to, and including his life.’ That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country today, who no longer understand that fact.
I am including in this posting the complete letter that appeared in The Day, our New London, Connecticut newspaper, on July23rd 2008. It was written by Michael Lewis of New London.
“The stars and stripes. What image do those words conjure up? For me it is the image of two tours of duty in Iraq fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom. My first tour was seven months. The second lasted three. That’s when the car bomb exploded. I am still full of shrapnel and have more scars than you can count in a day. To see the U.S. flag flying fills me with an enormous sense of pride and accomplishment.
I recently noticed a home improvement store in our area does not display the American flag. I approached the store manager to see what I could do to facilitate a change and was told, rudely, that this company is not interested in securing the necessary permits.
Where has our sense of pride gone? An American-owned store, in America, refuses to fly the flag. I am deeply offended - for me, other veterans and the six men in my platoon who died fighting to provide freedom for others. I am tired of Americans taking this country for granted.
I challenge all American businesses to fly the American flag and fly it proudly. It will be a poignant reminder to all.”
“Michael Lewis.”
This is MY opinion: This is, after all, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Why is it even necessary that anyone who wishes to fly the flag of this country is required to get a permit to do so?
If you live under the protection of the United States and you feel that your neighbor or the super market or the gas station does not have the right to fly the flag of this country then you don’t have the right to live here.
