"The Pledge of Allegeance" July 4th our day of Independence!

“The Pledge of Allegeance”  July 4th our day of Independence!

“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.”

As a student in grammar school during the 1940s, it was always a treat to stand and recite the pledge while holding our right hand across our heart.  It was a time when we learned respect for our teachers (not here anymore) and people who were seniors and the policemen who always were those we could look up to.  I still respect all of them while we see too many people who do not.

April 6, 1954 I remember standing in a large room with a great many other men (most like me just 18 years old) reciting the Pledge of Allegiance as we were inducted into the United States Army.  One thing I will never forget are the words that mean so much; “and to the Republic for which it stands.”  They meant something greater than any of us could imagine and still hold true today.  How many people fly an American flag of the stars and stripes today or even take time to honor those who died for our freedom?  I wore the uniform of a soldier of the United States Army for three years and was willing to go where the President would decide I was needed.  My dedication was one of keeping the words “I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.”

There is so much hatred in our nation and the factions that promote anger at our Catholic Church and the flag that one wonders what they grew up with regarding God, Freedom, and respect for other people while carrying a torch that reflects evil toward anything that is righteous and holy.

July 4th is more than a hot dog and beer day; it is a reminder that without what this pledge means and our willingness to stand for its precepts it may one day fall into oblivion where our grandchildren or great grandchildren will have no idea what it was all about so many years ago.

Memorial day we honor our fallen men and women of the Armed Forces who fought and died so that we could live in freedom.  Today, July 4th, we should be joyful that a number of men not only fought for righteousness by drawing up the Constitution of the United States and fought enemies to protect a document that is now under attack by scrupulous men and women to enact Communism (Socialism) in our nation.  If they get their way, our Constitution will be like toilet paper and the three divisions of government: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial may become pillars of the past unless we vote for freedom and elect patriots who believe in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The past that I lived through has memories that no longer are apropos and the flag we recited the Pledge of Allegiance to has lost its meaning for far too many citizens that might just be afraid to fly and honor it.  One thing is obvious, the enemies of freedom are also anti-respect for anything that is holy; Church and government.  

Ralph B. Hathaway