Stars and Stripes

Monday My friend needed to first visit her orthopedist for a follow up from her knee surgery. She didn’t quite feel up to driving yet. She has been a traveling companion and close friend for many years. I agreed. She also had to visit a second physician for pain control injections later in the day. Several years ago, her car was hit when the tandem wheels flew out from a trailer truck, hitting her car and forcing it off the road. The vehicle sheared off a tree 12 inches in diameter 15 feet above the ground causing her car to roll over several times before coming to rest on its roof. Her head injury was similar to a football player being hit many times, but hers were within less than a minute. She also sustained back injuries and this is the reasons for her injections at a pain clinic.

While we transitioned between the two, we had lunch at the Olive Garden, then stopped at a few craft stores. She wanted to pick up some embroidery floss and check out picture frames for her cross stitch project. One of the stores we stopped at was Hobby Lobby. A tall metal flamingo was prominent in the front window. Its price was a bit more than I wanted to spend for my sister Kathy Basinger’s birthday. (She hates flamingoes.)

While she was searching, I wandered the store, looking for a basket to use in my bathroom. I didn’t find the right shape, size, or color, so I wandered on. I did find one of the triangle display cases for the American flag. I had the flag presented to the family at my father, Edson Carl Beck’s funeral. It was stored away to protect it. The case was half off and I bought it. The flag is now on display in my living room.

My father served in WWII. His station was in the South Pacific, stationed in the Philippines and in another jungle island. Just before his death, he wrote a very short autobiography telling us that he actually visited Hiroshima. It would have to have been after the bombing. He was a poor farmer’s kid and could never have visited it before the war.

I now have the flag in a place of honor in my home. I am a Navy veteran from the Vietnam War era and it angers me to see our flag desecrated and dishonored. If these people don’t like our flag, our culture, our country, ten leave. Don’t be miserable here nor make it miserable for those who do enjoy the freedom and rights that our military have fought and died to preserve.