A note before I begin. I originally posted this two years ago at "Happy" Jake's Right-Wing Rants a few days after the events depicted in the story. I have since left the military, but my respect for those in uniform, particularly in combat, has never waned.  I wanted to use it as an illustration of the religious beliefs (particularly Judeo-Christian) that underlie American patriotism, specifically where it pertains to the military.

 

One thing I don’t write much about is the fact that I’m a member of the United States Air Force Reserve. I do my “One Weekend a Month” (at least that’s what they tell me). I don’t dedicate too many pixels to my service not (certainly) because I am not proud of serving my country – on the contrary, I am very proud. It’s just that there are many more who have done much more than I and my service, however honorable and respectable, has not really been particularly distinguished. I will praise the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in the combat zone 1,000 times before I toot my own horn.

Having said all of that, I had the occasion to attend the retirement ceremony of my First Sergeant this past drill weekend. For those ignorant of Air Force terminology, the First Sergeant (often called the “First Shirt” or just “the Shirt” for reasons I haven’t discovered yet) acts as a liaison between the enlisted force and the unit Commander. His job is to pass the Commander’s policies on to the rest of the squadron (and enforce those policies), and to take up the concerns of the enlisted force with the commander. He is, at once the enlisted serviceman’s advocate to the officer corps, and the spokesman for the Commander to his troops. A good Commander and a good Shirt make for a good unit. And a lousy Commander OR a lousy Shirt have the corresponding effect. (Of course, a lousy Shirt is usually not the Shirt for long.) It’s a tough job and it takes a certain type of person to do it well. Our (now former) First Sergeant is that type of person.

The retirement ceremony was at once full of the expected pomp and circumstance one expects from a formal military ceremony; formal and dignified as the men and women in uniform were wearing the semi-formal dress uniform or the full, tuxedo-style “Mess Dress” uniform; riotously funny as the Shirt’s family, friends, officers, and co-workers gently roasted the guest of honor, and as he, in turn told stories about times when the senior enlisted members of my squadron had consumed copious amounts of “adult beverage”; and poignant as the religious traditions of the US military came out.

One ceremony in particular that I found especially moving was the flag-folding ceremony. The Shirt’s son, himself a member of the Air Force, was not in attendance because he IS one of the airmen serving overseas, right now. For his father’s retirement, this man wrote his senator to have a flag flown over the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, then expedited to Iraq so that it could be flown over the country the Shirt’s son was helping to liberate and secure. That flag was carried into the ceremony by two of our Chief Master Sergeants, unfolded, displayed to all in attendance, then re-folded as the other two Chiefs read the following:

 

“The flag folding ceremony represents the same religious principles on which our country was originally founded. The portion of the flag denoting honor is the canton of blue containing the stars representing the states our veterans served in uniform. The canton field of blue dresses from left to right and is inverted when draped as a pall on a casket of a veteran who has served our country in uniform.

“In the Armed Forces of the United States, at the ceremony of retreat the flag is lowered, folded in a triangle fold and kept under watch throughout the night as a tribute to our nation's honored dead. The next morning it is brought out and, at the ceremony of reveille, run aloft as a symbol of our belief in the resurrection of the body.

1. “The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

2. “The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.

3. “The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.

4. “The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for His divine guidance.

5. “The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, ‘Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong.’

6. “The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we 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.

7. “The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.

8. “The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered in to the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on Mother's Day.

9. “The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.

10. “The tenth fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.

11. “The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

12. “The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.

13. “When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, ‘In God we Trust.’

“After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington and the sailors and marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United States, preserving for us the rights, privileges, and freedoms we enjoy today.” (from www.USHistory.org)

The effect of this ceremony is to show us what we are fighting for. It’s also good to see that there is a branch of the Federal Government that does not shun religion in general and Judeo-Christianity in particular, but actively and positively embraces it. We are a Christian nation. Period. And it’s high time that the courts and the schools and the rest of the government accept that and follow the lead of the military in embracing that Christian heritage.

It also warms my heart to see a taxpayer funded institution do something that would make apoplectic those who would take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance and remove His name and His words from the halls of government forever.

God Bless America!

HJG