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Guest Column: Just a pretty decoration for national holidays? U.S flag is so much more
by Summer Saylor, Fifth Grade · Op-Ed · May 14, 2015
Editor’s note: Hoover Elementary fifth-grader Summer Rose Walsh Saylor on April 28 earned first place in the West Branch American Legion Flag Essay. Here is that essay:
Have you ever wondered why the American flag looks the way it does or when you should display it? Do you have pride for the flag? I do! And in this essay you will learn how to feel pride for the flag, too!
When I see a flag outside someone’s house I know that person cares about America. Just the sight of the flag makes me feel pride for my country! Many people display the flag on national or state holidays, such as Memorial Day, July 4th and Veterans Day.
The flag is not just a pretty decoration that we use to honor our country. Each color and stripe and star represent something meaningful about The United States of America. The 13 stripes stand for the 13 Original Colonies and there are 50 stars that represent the 50 states. Even the colors mean something. The red means courage, the white is for pureness and the blue behind the stars symbolizes justice.
If you want to show pride for the flag, next time you see it at a parade, make sure you put your right hand over your heart and face the flag. If you are wearing a hat, make sure you take it off. This is just one small way to show pride for the flag and the Veterans who fought for our country.
Honoring the flag, and all of the symbols put together on a piece of cloth to make up the flag of the United States of America help me remember what it took to become the free country that we are today. And THAT gives me pride when I see the flag.
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