Honoring the American Flag

What does the American flag mean to me?

It means the home of the brave and the land of the free.

It’s not just a piece of cloth from an assembly line,

But a sacred symbol that will survive the test of time.

We pledge allegiance to the flag and to the republic for which it stands.

This old flag has been battered in foreign lands,

But no enemy nation has ever destroyed our faith

Because we fight the enemy with God’s grace.

One nation under God, together we stand.

We must look to Him for guidance to protect this great land.

We now wave our flag in foreign lands to protect our shores.

This flag symbolizes a great, great country – mine and yours.

Some cowards in this country get a sick thrill of desecrating our flag.

To them it’s nothing more than a filthy rag.

They would never do this in the presence of a G.I. returning from Iraq.

These cowards would be gone and not come back.

From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli,

This flag has flown in mighty battles from sea to shining sea.

It now flies with our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan,

As they voluntarily risk their lives to protect our great land.

So when you ask, “What the flag means to me?”

I repeat, the home of the brave and the land of the free.

So when the flag is raised and the National Anthem we hear,

I get a lump in my throat and may even shed a tear.

By Dwayne Garner