The Pledge of Allegiance.

[katcarasella]

I normally don't talk politics, but..................
I wanted to share this because of someone dear to me.

This is not meant to be controversial thread.

JOHN MCCAIN'S REMARKS ABOUT THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE!!!

THE NEXT TIME YOU SAY IT THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE WILL BE SAID WITH A
TEAR IN YOUR EYE

"The Pledge of Allegiance" - by Senator John McCain

As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war
during the Vietnam War. In the early yea rs of our imprisonment, the
NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971
the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms
with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room.

This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct
result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few
hundred POWs 10,00 0 miles from home. One of the men who moved into my
room was a young man named Mike Christian.

Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair
of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy
He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School Then
he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in
1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this
country and our military provide for people who want to work and want
to succeed.

As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some
prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages
were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing.

Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months,
he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt.

Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's
shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance.

I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part
of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was
indeed the most important and meaningful event.

One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically,
and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it.

That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the
benefit of all of us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple
of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We
cleaned him up as well as we could.

The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which
we slept. A naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room.

As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the
excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting
there beneath that dim light bulb with a p iece of red cloth, another
shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian.

He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had
received, making another American flag. He was not making the flag
because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag
because he knew how important it was to us to be able to Pledge our
allegiance to our flag and country.

So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never
forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made
to build our nation and promote freedom around the world.

You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and
to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
__________________

[Janet]

Originally Posted by katcarasella

I normally don't talk politics, but..................I wanted to share this because of someone dear to me.

This is not meant to be controversial thread.

JOHN MCCAIN'S REMARKS ABOUT THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE!!!

THE NEXT TIME YOU SAY IT THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE WILL BE SAID WITH A TEAR IN YOUR EYE "The Pledge of Allegiance" - by Senator John McCain

As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early yea rs of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room.

This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few
hundred POWs 10,00 0 miles from home. One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian.

Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country and our military provide for people who want to work and want to succeed.

As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt.

Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance.

I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event.

One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it.

That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all of us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could.

The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. A naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room.

As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a p iece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag. He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to Pledge our allegiance to our flag and country.

So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world.

You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
__________________

AMEN ...Kat, ..AMEN

I don't know if you copied and pasted or typed it out, but notice there is no comma between nation and under. That is how I was taught to say the Pledge...no comma...NO HESITATION!

[katcarasella]

You're right Janet, thank you I didn't catch that when I copied it from the e-mail I received from one of Pete's Army buddies.
"Pledge...no comma...NO HESITATION!!"
AMEN!!!
__________________

[deb22]

[DianaB]

Very inspirational!! Thanks for sharing, Kat!

[Dobie]

Thanks for sharing - stories like that help to remind people not to take for granted the freedoms that we have.

[Tink]

Thanks Kat.
I really enjoyed that.
My dad was in the army and had not been out of the state before enlisting. He ended up in Japan helping to do support services for the men cleaning up after the big bomb was dropped. He was only in for 2 yrs, but that was one of his proudest accomplishments. He taught us from birth to appreciate and be proud of our country, to salute the flag, and always treat anyone in a military uniform with the utmost respect.

He would have loved that story. When he was buried, it was as a veteran with a 21 gun salute and taps played at his grave. His coffin was draped in a flag which was neatly folded and handed to my mother. He would have been so proud.

For those who have served there is that well earned sense of pride that I think the rest of us all too often miss out on. It's too easy to take it all for granted until something like this post reminds us.
So thanks... it's a good reminder for us all.

[katcarasella]

Pete was buried with Military Honors also, seeing those soldiers standing at attention when the hearse pulled up to his gravesite is something our family will never forget. When they handed me the flag I was proud to accept it and I told the young soldier that it was an honor. All Pete's old Vietnam friends were his pallbearers, and they saluted him as he was lowered in the ground.
It will always be a bittersweet memory. I was fine until they played Taps, then I couldn't help but cry but I held myself together.

Thanks for letting me go on and on, it's gonna be a bad week for me, but I know I can come here for support if I need it.

[Janet]

Kat, I wish I could do something so it wouldn't be a bad week for you.

My father was in Japan too for two years, but he wasn't buried with anything military. Not sure why, maybe we were just all to grief stricken to think about that part of it.

[Marilyn]

Kat, thank you and everyone else for sharing. Our country has lost a lot of good men and a lot of good men & women have suffered to perserve our country.

[katcarasella]

Just to clarify:
Section 4 of the Flag Code states:

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.", should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute."