Honoring “Old Glory”

What makes the American Flag worthy of our honor?

As a piece of red, white and blue cloth, the flag has little intrinsic value. What makes it a cherished icon and worthy of our allegiance is what it symbolizes – the ideals and principles upon which our country was founded, “…. that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

What does it mean to honor our flag?

We honor our flag when we, individually and collectively, live up to those founding values and principles. While it is a sign of respect to salute our flag by holding our hands (or our hats) over our hearts as the National Anthem is played at public events, that gesture is credible only to the extent that we, in our individual and institutional behavior, act in accord with those ideals and principles for which our flag stands.

What does it mean to dishonor our flag?

When “we the people,” in our individual and institutional lives, fail to live up to those founding principles, we dishonor our flag. It is not those who kneel in peaceful and reverent protest of injustices in our national life that dishonor our flag. It is those who promote racial prejudice and perpetrate racially motivated acts of violence against our fellow Americans who dishonor our flag and that for which it stands.

On this national day of independence, let us, “we the people,” resolve truly to honor our flag — not just with our lips, but with our lives — for the sake of our personal honor and for the sake of our national soul.

“Long may our land be bright with freedom’s holy light,

Protect us by thy might, Great God our King!”

Gary Frederick, Tyler