After watching the media reports over the past few weeks, I’ve been amazed at some of the stories.
There was an apartment complex whose management company forbid a veteran from displaying the American flag in his window because some of the other tenants might find it offensive. They were going to evict him if it was not removed.
There was a Florida Condo Association who was going after a Medal of Honor recipient because he put his American Flag out every day. While there were rules against the display of the flag there is a Federal Law preempting those kinds of rules just as there is a law that allows owners to install small dishes and antennas for television reception.
There are plenty of other examples but for the sake of brevity I will not go into them all.
The media reports had me down. I attended the Liberty Fest in Farmer’s Branch over the weekend. It renewed my spirit to see so many people out paying respect to America’s greatest national resource-the men and women who proudly serve and protect her.
I was on active duty in the US Air Force for over 21 years. I did combat tours in Desert Storm and Desert Shield. That flag means everything to me. When the National Anthem plays and the Flag is hoisted I still get tears in my eyes. I wish all Americans could share my love for this country and the freedoms that we have. Freedom of speech, the freedom to bear arms, the freedom against unreasonable search and seizure are just a few of the many freedoms we have as Americans.
Those freedoms are not free. They have been bought and paid for with the blood of soldiers, airmen, marines, and sailors who have given the lives defending this nation.
Ronald Regan said it best, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”
On this Memorial Day, take a minute to reflect of the great many freedoms we have as Americans and commit yourself to defending those freedoms in whatever way you can.
