Flag Day 2021

A Call For A “Listening Halt”

Today is Flag Day in the United States, a time to reflect on its symbolic aspects and grand history – a day to commemorate the adoption of our flag during the Revolutionary War. This year, we must also recognize that, though the flag symbolizes pride for some, it symbolizes dismay for others. This Flag Day, it is time we take a “listening halt.”

Instead of voicing your own opinion regarding the U.S. Flag, stop and listen to others’.

I learned the purpose and importance of “listening halts” in the U.S. Army. The noise in our own camp – vehicles, generators, aircraft, etc. – masked the noise of the areas all around us. As a young infantryman leading a combat patrol outside of my camp, I would stop soon after leaving friendly lines. It was a short halt, but critical for hearing and getting accustomed to what was going on outside of our camp. And, in this same way, we should all stop and listen to what is going on around us outside of our own “camps.”

Old Glory has become an enduring symbol of the country it serves.

The U.S. flag is one of the world’s most widely recognized symbols. It is a patchwork of red stripes intermingled with white and sewn adjacent to a blue field of cloth which is embroidered with stars. These disparate pieces of cloth are all stitched together into a beautiful flag that signifies a living country. Just like Old Glory, this country is a patchwork of disparate people pieced together. Over time, people with dissimilar backgrounds and uniquely shaped experiences have intermingled to make a beautiful social fabric unlike any other country. Each piece signifies something exceptional, important and essential to the nation’s survival.

The 13-stripe design signifies sunrays shining down on the 13 colonies of the new nation.

When introduced 244 years ago, the Stars and Stripes signified a new beginning for the 13 unified colonies. Furthermore, it represented certain ideals designed and promised for every citizen of the new nation: courage, valor, perseverance, justice, innocence, purity and bravery. Current events, however, remind us that we have more work to do in delivering what was promised to all Americans.

White stripes represent innocence and purity; a new country just born and starting on its own. Red stripes were chosen to represent valor, courage and hardiness.

Sadly, because of our notable shortcomings, Old Glory’s meaning and symbolism is received unevenly by the very citizens the flag represents. Old Glory has become politicized and racialized and is now at the center of the controversy. Today’s dispute stems from the unequal delivery of justice and long-unaddressed issues, with bigotry and racial disparity at the top of the list.

The stars represent constellations which will stand ''forever'' and the number of states in the union.

Emotions are high and tempers are short. Citizens have staked out their positions and are not afraid to use their first amendment rights to voice their opinions on the matter. But, I fear, regardless of where they stand, the citizens on the “other” side are inattentive because the noise within their own “camp” is too loud. We must halt and listen to what one another has to say. Otherwise, the ideals that the U.S. Flag symbolizes will never be achieved for all.

The blue field on which the stars sit represents justice and perseverance.

The flag’s design has been altered 27 times in its proud history. Modifications were made to accommodate changes in the country. But the ideals associated with the flag have never been altered. So, as the flag design has been revised without affecting its symbolism, we can change as a nation without destroying the principles and ideals that have guided and shaped this country since its Founding.

Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the American flag on June 14, 1777.

Our nation’s most prized symbol is 244 years old, today. If we truly listen to the sounds all around us before we say another word, we can change and improve the delivery of justice and eliminate bigotry and racial disparity to achieve liberty and justice for all.

The American flag displayed on one’s lapel is admirable, but it will never equal carrying it in one’s heart. – Michael J. Novosel, U.S. Army, Medal of Honor

I proudly wore the flag on my uniform for 33 years and understood that I had to deliver on its promise to our nation and to the world. If the flag symbolizes liberty and justice for all, then my actions always had to reflect the same. I could never sully the ideals associated with the flag, because it would contradict my oath to support and defend our constitution.

“You’re a grand old flag, you’re a high-flying flag, and forever in peace may you wave.” – George M. Cohan

Koch VETS will honor Old Glory and its symbolic aspects and grand history by taking a listening halt. We wish to honor those who died defending it by restoring its prestige to a universally recognized symbol for liberty and freedom.

“Charlie-Mike”

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