Raymond Eaton
As we watch the 2024 election campaign progress, with all of the insane attempts to keep Donald Trump off of the ballot, we will observe a commemoration that was established by Americans in the past that knew all too well the price that was paid for the nation that many are trying to destroy today. Like many of our traditions and cultural beliefs, reverence for the American flag is totally absent in many parts of our nation, and has been replaced with outright hatred of the red, white, and blue as a symbol of oppression and colonialism.
In the late 19th Century a Wisconsin school teacher assigned his students the task of describing the importance of the American flag. He pushed for a national commemoration which slowly garnered support, and finally in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation recognizing the American flag. Later in 1949 Congress officially recognized Flag Day to be celebrated every June 14th. This was in a time when the United States had risen to the occasion just a few years earlier to save the world from fascism, only to be charged with the new task of containing communism, which threatened to end hard won freedoms and Stalinize large parts of the world.
Flags have been used for centuries by armies, kingdoms, nations, and organizations of all kinds. They were used as a way to send signals in the time before radio and were usually designed to be instantly recognized for their meaning. The red, white, and blue American flag is no different and school children from a long gone America could tell you the significance of the colors. The red stripes on the flag symbolize hardiness and valor which used to be ideals treasured in America. The white stripes on Old Glory symbolize purity and innocence, ideals which we will never achieve as humans but are attainable as free gifts from God. Finally, the blue field for the fifty state stars represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice. Although the United States, nor any other nation has, or ever will achieve these goals to perfection, we used to think it mattered to try anyway.
As we approach Flag Day 2024, I hope all who read this will fly the Stars and Stripes proudly and without concern for those that try to tear down this symbol that the whole world used to recognize as a symbol of freedom and hope. If you have ever been to a military funeral when the flag is folded and presented to the family with the words “On behalf of the President of the United States and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one’s honorable and faithful service” and didn’t feel a tear in your eye, you probably don’t understand. That’s the problem we face as a nation, many simply don’t understand.
Raymond Eaton teaches history at Reidsville High School and as you can tell is a strict constitutionalist. Raymond also serves as Vice-Chair of the Rockingham County Republican Party. He has one daughter and one wife and they reside in Reidsville, NC.