American-Exceptionalism-10.5x10-PRINT-10.5 DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 17
Think of your favorite image of the American
flag. For lots of us, it’s the picture of the six
battle-hardened Marines hoisting Old Glory atop
a hill at Iwo Jima. Or maybe it’s when Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted the stars and
stripes on the moon to commemorate that it was
Americans who took that giant leap for mankind
in July 1969. Or maybe you recall when, as a
youngster, you stood up from your desk chair,
put your hand on your heart, and recited the
Pledge of Allegiance to the flag above the
chalkboard in unison with your classmates
and teacher.
in New York shortly after the 9/11 terrorist
attacks on the homeland.
Whenever you see the flag, it stirs strong
emotions of belonging, duty, and home. Walk
through any neighborhood where it seems like
all the houses are flying the Star Spangled
Banner, and you know you’re in a good place
filled with good people proud of their country.
And in hard times, the sight of Old Glory stiffens
our spines and inspires us to keep fighting. Our
love of the flag restores our faith in America.
Remember how Jim Craig, goalie of the USA’s
1980 gold-medal-winning hockey team, skated
around the rink holding the flag after a historic
win? The flag is at the center of some of our
memories of tragedy, too, as when President John
F. Kennedy’s widow Jacqueline kneeled before
his flag-draped casket to pay her final respects.
Or when brave first responders elevated our flag
17
