Tribute
to the
Flag of our Country
The
following "Tribute to the American Flag"
was given by Ross A. "Judge" Frazier, P.M., of Elko Lodge No. 15.
He wrote the piece specifically for our Grand Lodge Sessions,
and he reserves all rights for its publication or performance.
"I
AM THE AMERICAN FLAG"
- Done in the First Person -
I
was there.
Oh yes, I have been there from the beginning.
You couldn't see me then but I was there.
In the early days I was with those great and noble men
like Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Adams and so many others.
And I remember the shot heard around the world
because I was with them when it was fired.
But, as I said, you couldn't really see me
because in truth I represent a spirit, an ideal, and a belief.
I
looked different at first
but in 1777 the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act
giving me official status.
Some of you probably think Betsy Ross,
that kindly old Philadelphia seamstress, created me;
however, some of you give that credit to Mr. Francis Hopkinson.
He was a Congressman from New Jersey
and had signed the Declaration of Independence.
None of you know for sure who designed me,
how the colors were selected or what they represented.
Of course, I know the answer.
It was….well, I'd probably better not say.
I had thirteen stars on a blue field
with thirteen alternating red and white stripes.
Both were to represent the colonies
that became the thirteen original states.
The idea was to add a stripe and star for each new state.
I don't think they had any idea how big this nation would become.
By the time there were fifteen states adding more stripes became unworkable
so I went back to thirteen and just added another star for each new state.
Throughout the years I've changed as more states were added
but what I really am has never changed.
Far more than just an assembly of colored cloth,
I am truly the spirit of a free people, the spirit of America.
I
have been with the countless men and women
who fought to preserve me, giving them strength and courage.
With tears, I have wrapped myself as a shroud around those who fell in battle
for my sake
and I comfort those left behind
that the fallen did not die in vain.
Those who truly understand know that I must always be safeguarded and defended.
And it makes me sad to see so many who just don't seem to understand.
I
should be respected.
Indeed, you owe me respect!
Stand when I come in the room
and if I pass by in a parade,
carried by those who honor me,
remove your hat and hold your hand over your heart.
Display me properly and with pride.
Have you forgotten the Pledge of Allegiance you learned?
I certainly hope not because it is an affirmation of everything I stand for.
Oh, I seethed
with anger in 1971
when the radical city council of Berkeley, California
threw me on the floor of the council chambers
and declared that never again would I be displayed there
nor would the Pledge of Allegiance ever again be recited.
How ironic that the liberties I represent allowed them to desecrate me so.
They were a scurrilous and undeserving lot
as are those who follow in their footsteps.
And
how can it be
that some would now
strike out the words "under God"
from your Pledge of Allegiance?
Time and again those great men who founded your country
declared their belief in God
and expressed it in nearly everything they did and wrote.
In spite of differences,
that belief was like a binding force
that gave them the will to create your nation.
Although those words weren't there originally,
they were added in 1954
because people recognized
that the belief in God is an essential part of their heritage,
the foundation of their country
and a landmark of everything I stand for.
And now they want to take those words out?
The very notion makes me cringe with disbelief.
Are they misguided
or just ignorant of the fact
that the belief in God
was what gave rise to this great nation?
Mark
well what I tell you.
Be ever vigilant for I must always be protected.
And if, piece by piece,
the foundations of liberty are chipped away
by those who do not cherish me
then even the spirit I represent will be weakened.
Soon I will
become no more than colorful cloth
who's meaning is but a distant memory to some
before it is lost forever and I will no longer be
the American Flag.