A Valuable Lesson

I was 15 and with my father.  We were sitting on grass amongst a large group of people.  The crowd was getting ready to watch a parade.  Dad stood up.  I didn't know why he stood up, but I followed his lead.  A man behind us rudely yelled that we should sit down so everyone else could see the parade.

My father turned around and calmly stated, "That's the American flag coming towards us.  I'm teaching my son to stand and respect all that flag stands for.  I was in Viet Nam the day my son was born, and I don't take any of those rights, responsibilities, or liberties for granted.  Perhaps you should do the same."  The entire crowd stood.

As we prepare for Memorial Day, a day our country stops to honor our fallen soldiers, I know the greatest lesson I ever learned about respect and our country did not come from school.  My greatest lesson came from that moment.

To be fair, Dad has faults.  I have faults.  Our country has faults.  But there is absolutely no place in the world I would rather live, raise a family, and work than the United States of America, and I am grateful and proud our students stand (and in some instances enlist the right to not stand) each day for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Happy Memorial Day.

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 28, 2013 at 9:20 AM

    Great stuff! Thanks for all you do for our kids Mr. Asher.

    ReplyDelete

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