Braden River VFW members offer American flag lesson

It wasn't surprising to see the note on the kitchen counter because that was my father's mode of operation.

When I arrived home on a regular basis from school, my dad used to leave me notes about chores. They never took more than 45 minutes to an hour, but as 12-year-old, I felt like an indentured servant.

Years later, I finally understood his motives, but that didn't help on this particular day. I had to dig a hole.

Considering we lived on four acres in the country, the instructions themselves were not unusual. However, we had all kinds of culverts and pipes, and this hole was different.

It was round and directly in front of our house, but it was too small to have anything to do with the septic tank. It was supposed to be about three feet deep. My dad already had started it, so it really wasn't a tough job.

The next day, my dad was there to help. He had brought a long metal pole, nylon rope and bags of concrete. Now I knew what this was about. We set the pole in concrete, with the top about 20 feet or so high. We put cleats on the pole, and added the snaps to the rope.

My dad went into the house, and brought out an American Flag.

In the coming years, I watched my dad, a former U.S. Marine, raise the flag in the morning and take it down at night. If it was raining, the flag wasn't out there. It never touched the ground, and 10 years later, it didn't look much different than the day it was purchased.

We had lessons in school about the American Flag, but the best lesson of all came right at home. My dad loved that flag, and because of it, so did I.

On June 3, members of the Braden River Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12055, came to Amanda Hirst's third-grade class at Freedom Elementary to talk about the American Flag and to show the students how to fold it properly.The six combat veterans who appeared were glad to be there.

Army veteran Gill Ruderman led the group and asked students a series of flag-related questions. Some they knew, some they didn't.

But knowing some of the answers, when it comes to a nation that doesn't exactly ace its flag-respecting quiz, is a victory.

"This is a great thing for the kids," Ruderman said. "I hope they retain it."

Ruderman obviously is disturbed our citizens in general don't have a better working knowledge of our flag. It is a chore, because if you look at National Flag Conference guidelines, it can get confusing, such as "The flag of the United States of America, when it is displayed with another flag against a wall from crossed staffs, should be on the right, the flag's own right, and its staff should be in front of the staff of the other flag."

Whew.

Even the simple rules get overlooked.

"The flag should not be used as wearing apparel, bedding or drapery."

Myself, I don't really care if you wear American Flag pajamas. But I try to remember that people have died defending that flag.

When we wear American Flag symbols on our T-shirts or hats, it's a big no-no. Ruderman said it has become such a part of our culture, that the trend might be impossible to stop.

"It's a slammed door you can't un-slam," he said.

Fortunately, my door, when it comes to the American Flag, was always kept open.

On June 14, Flag Day, I hope you pause to consider what our flag means to you. It could mean freedom or patriotism. Perhaps it is a symbol of opportunity. Or it might bring back memories of a veteran's funeral, a moving time in our nation's history, or something as simple as digging a hole.