November 20, 2002

• I was with my dad most of the day, doing what he likes to do.  Which is go to wal-mart, take a drive to Center Ridge, looking at all the trees changing colors, things like that.  Nothing hugely special.  It wasn’t until we had split up and I was driving home, with him following behind that I noticed something.  Shortly after 9/11/01 he bought two of the American flags that hook onto the window of your car.  Looking into my rearview mirror I could see those flags proudly flapping in the breeze.  When I looked back to the road I saw that where a year ago you could see dozens of those flags now there was only my dads’.  Some people decried all of those flags, saying that it was fake patriotism, or my personal favorite, where was your flag before 9/11?  I know where my dads flag was before 9/11…it was at Pearl Harbor…it was Dec. 7th.  Another day of “infamy”  My dad doesn’t go around beating his chest and he doesn’t  ask you, where is your flag?  He doesn’t always agree with the makers of policy and he abhors politicians.  but when he joined the army he new that he might be giving his life for his country.  He was willing to do that because it was for the entire country, not just a few politicians.  For a way of life that he thought was worth preserving.  When I see those flags flying on his car I see more than an old man.  I see one of the heroes that lived to tell the tale.   

  • 5:45 pm
  • 3 Comments