Flag Day, Friday June 10, 20005

A speech by Beth Chapman

for The Daughters of the American Revolution state meeting

The red, white and blue, the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, our Standard, the Star Spangle Banner,  the American flag - It has heard the battle cry for freedom and has been the banner for democracy  it is our sacred symbol of the heart and soul of our country  our freedom.

It represents the fifty states and the blood of the men and women who died carrying it - if not on their bodies, in their hearts and souls as they fought for freedom of a nation  our nation.

Though tattered and worn, it continued to wave as 6,000 patriots died in the Revolutionary War breaking off the chains of tyranny from Great Britain .

It survived the Civil War and draped the caskets of many of the 500,000 total (some brother against brother) who fought and died defending freedom, though they disagreed on what that freedom meant  the flag continued to wave in its defense.

It soared at Gettysburg , unfurled at the Battle of the Bulge, was blood stained at Kasson, stood watch in the final hours at Pearl Harbor as hulls of ships and shells of men floated on the burning waters. It was hoisted by brave American soldiers at Iwo Jima .

Throughout history it was tested and tried on the beaches of Normandy and was triumphant on the shores of Tripoli .

It stood for justice's sake though 116,000 Americans fell in WWI and 405,000 in World War II. 

It survived the numbness of frost bite in the Chosin Reservoir of the Korean Conflict and heard the brassy bugle's cry of Taps being played for more than 54,000 who lost their lives.

It proudly but sadly waves today over a wall that bears only etched names in stone of more than 58,000 faces, hearts, souls and bodies of the fallen soldiers who died in the jungles of Vietnam.

It blew for righteousness' sake mounted in the dirt of Desert Storm as 293 Americans' bodies were killed but their love for country was not captured, conquered or defeated. 

Most recently it saw1,672 Americans in Operation Iraqi Freedom die and it has covered the bodies of 190 killed in Enduring Freedom  yet the flag still endures.  It still waves - restoring the foundations on which we were built and reminding us of the freedom with which we've been blessed.

And today it continues to wave, somberly but surely over the 260,000 brave and courageous veterans whose silent, sleeping spirits remain in Arlington Cemetery .

They defended our freedom and determined our destiny and the destiny of our nation. Now they rest in peace while we enjoy it with as much passion as they once felt when they were defending it.

Many have spit on the flag, buried it and burned it, not realizing the freedom it represents is what allows them that right, though no matter how obnoxious and disrespectful it may be, it supposedly is their right.

But what a pity they know not how much innocent blood was shed so they could have that freedom to express the bitterness and hatred they appear to have for their own freedom and anything that it represents.

Over one million Men and women of the United States Military have died defending what our flag symbolizes, but others have died simply by living the American Dream which it represents - 2,595 civilians at the World Trade Center on 9-11, 92 on Flight 11 and 65 on Flight 175, 125 in the Pentagon, 64 on Flight 77, and 45 on Flight 93  a total of 2,986 died on that same tragic day  doing nothing but living out in their daily lives what our flag stands for  freedom.  They were the innocent victims of evil people and a jealousy and hatred that comes with such a beloved freedom as ours.

And on that day when our country was at its lowest level, our spirits had plummeted, we had been as wounded or worse than at any time in our great nation  in the very middle of the ordeal, three exhausted New York Fireman had the foresight, the vision and the inspiration which could only be fueled physically by adrenaline, but spiritually and emotionally by raw patriotism  love of God and country -  to hoist an American flag for all the world, friend and foe alike to see, so they would know we had not been defeated. 

Even in the ruins and rubble, Old Glory was raised and proudly waved as she had so many times before in peace and in war.  She rose up out of the dust, dirt and even fire to restore the American spirit, which can not be snuffed out as a burning candle by tragedy or hatred, but is only further motivated to wave higher and further unfold to spread the news of freedom and of victory.

It symbolized freedom, hope, and determination of the American people and the strength of our spirit.

Some have purchased the freedom our flag represents, others have defended it - and by the grace of God those of us in this room have been blessed to simply live under it in the greatest country on the face of the earth.

And it costs most of us nothing and that's why it should have our utmost honor and respect. For the same exact flag may not have been through all the battles, but what it represents has been and that is more than any one person can say. 

The flag has seen it all and survived it all, therefore, the spirit and freedom which it represents has survived it all. It is the epitome of the sacred symbol we know it to be.

It stands atop the United States Supreme Court building as justice attempts to be served; it stands over the United States Capitol in hopes of good laws being passed and bad ones being killed.

It stands in schoolyards as children play, over Court Houses and City Halls as good grassroots government is hopefully being administered. It drapes the shoulders of our country's finest athletes as they represent us at the Olympics.

But let us not forget that it has also left this earth to represent us, to fly into the Heavens and land on the moon. It has flown into the wild blue yonder far into the majestic skies reaching toward the very face of God, only to explode, and quickly plummet into the sea with the Challenger and the brave Americans in it. 

There is little of our heritage that it has not seen; there are fewer of our victories, triumphs and tragedies that it has not experienced first hand.  It has waved at half mast and at full mast, but it has never ceased to wave.

It is not to be burned or buried, but flown with great pride and admiration.  Some say it is not the flag, but what it represents that we should honor  I say we cannot honor one without a pledge of allegiance to the other.

The Pledge of Allegiance nationally debuted in October 1892 on Columbus Day when 12 million children across America recited it for the first time.

The pledge of allegiance has had three major changes:

Originally it read: 'I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the Republic for which it stands: one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.'

June 14, 1923 , it was revised to 'the flag' instead of 'my flag' and the words 'United States' were added.

One year later it was revised to read 'the flag, of the United States of America .'

 But the most significant change came on Flag Day, June 14, 1954 , when President Dwight D. Eisenhower added these two simple, but profound words:  'Under God.'

And this is what he said about adding those two words: 'In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war.'

The Pledge of Allegiance as we know it today is only 31 words packed with pride, honor, loyalty and devotion.

Red Skelton, a brilliant comedic mind of another generation shared this story on television many years ago.  Little did he know this story would be so poignant and prophetic today.  He shared the story of his teacher Mr. Laswell who came to think his class was just saying the pledge of allegiance out of routine so he made a drastic change in their schedule one day. This is what he said to them:

'I've been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester and it seems as though it is becoming monotonous to you. If I may, may I recite it and try to explain to you the meaning of each word.'

I - me, an individual, a committee of one.

Pledge - dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self pity,

Allegiance - my love and my devotion

To the flag - our standard, old glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves, there's been respect because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody's job.

United - that means we all have come together.

States -  individual communities that have united into 48 great states. 48 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose; all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet untied to a common purpose and that's love for country.

And to the Republic - a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And 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 - one nation meaning 'so blessed by God.'

Indivisible - incapable of being divided.

With liberty - which is freedom-the right of power to live one's life without threats, fear or some sort of retaliation

And Justice - the principle or quality of dealing fairly with others

For all - which means boys, and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine.

Skelton later said since he was a young boy that two states had been added to our country and that two words had been added to our pledge - -'Under God.'

Then he smiled and said, 'Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that (those two words 'Under God') is a prayer and they would eliminate it from schools too?

Little did he know that now, many years later, that very effort has been discussed before the United States Supreme Court.

But the flag still waves and our nation is still one nation under God and we still live under the banner of democracy and the flag waves in our churches, school yards, state and national government buildings and always in our hearts and homes  because that's where freedom originated and that is where it must remain.

When we pledge allegiance to our flag, we are making a commitment, and what we are committed to is what we become as individual people, and as a nation. The destinies of many nations have been determined by what their people were allegiant to   Rome is a good example of that.  Let us never become a Rome .

Our flag is more than three colors of cloth and millions of pieces of thread sown by hand.  It is more than Betsy Ross and Francis Scott Key.  It represents a message of hope and freedom that is carried in the hearts and souls of the people of a nation for generations.

I pray today that God will continue to bless this country and that we may never divorce ourselves to the preservation of that freedom for which our men and women have died and our flag still boldly stands.

Now let us stand and with great pride, honor, humility and resolve - with great enthusiasm, fervor, patriotism, passion and respect say our pledge of allegiance together as we have never said it before.

Copyright June 9, 2005

Written by Beth Chapman, inspired by Pastor Chris Goins

For further infomation about Beth Chapman's book,

The Power of Patriotism, follow this link to her website: www.BethChapman.com