The Pledge of Allegiance to America

In light of the recent posts by certain individuals here on this site, and with respect to the apparent lack of allegiance to America, the following recollection from material about Senator John McCain is very appropriate:
Story as told by the Senator:
As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years 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 10,000 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 Viet namese 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 Four 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 piece 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 fla g. 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 or see the American Flag, 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...

 

In 1971, when John McCain and Mike Christian were imprisoned in that cell in Vietnam, I was 10 years old. We said the Pledge of Allegiance every day in my elementary school classroom. I hope it brings some consolation to them knowing that they were fighting for our right to say the Pledge of Allegiance. It was obvious then, as it is now, there are people in this world who would certainly strip us of that right if they could.

Before you liberals respond to this by saying something like "It's just another example of brainwashing indoctrination to a political ideaology", please DON'T.

I enjoy reciting the Pledge of Allegiance (exactly as it's written above, by the way) and I'll be damned before anyone tells me I can't recite it just like that.

 

SALUTE!!!

I proudly stand by our Flag, Country, and the Allegiance to our Nation!!

RickieB

 

I agree, you right wingers have NO allegiance to America, you are trying to destroy our cherished values with evil actions like the patriot act and wiretapping.

 

I first heard about that story as it was acted out on an AFKN commercial, (also AFN, or just plain AFRTS for you old folks! ). A lot of the military heritage commercials are classics and should be seen by more than just the lucky few who score OCONUS duty locations.

 

Afraid, your speaking Latin to Danr. Do you remember the AFN Sports Announcer, USA, Staff Sergeant, Ron Brewski? Now there was a sportscaster's name if I ever heard one...

 

I had a feeling that Danr couldn't keep his big mouth shut.

 

I've got some heavy Mc Cain stories myself (being from AZ). The dude is the only Pub I have ever voted for.

 

The pledge of allegiance to the flag was written in 1892 by a socialist named Francis Bellamy. My understanding is that this sort of nationalism and loyalty pledge was opposed by conservatives at the time, and it might have horrified many of the founding fathers since it elevated the state to a level of importance over the individual. Times sure change and it's easy to get confused about what is conservative, what is liberal, what is patriotic, and what is constitutional. I don't see any harm in it, but also seems a bit extreme to raise it to a level of importance greater than life itself.

 

Olddan, great story. Regardless of our differences in opinion about our government, I love America.

 

Lets see, as I remember it, when I was in a country elementary school (not a one room school house but had one room per grade), we said the Lords Prayer first and then the Pledge of Allegiance. Then while in the fifth grade our teacher Mrs. Reader said that we could not say the lords prayer any more, the year would have been 1961 or 1962. The whole class was disappointed and protested to no avail. Then we did our duck and cover exercise. How stupid can the government be?

 

All I say is if more people truly love their country , respect of others, then world be a better place for all.hya:

 

Amen.

 

It's just another example of brainwashing indoctrination to a political ideaology.

 

LOL ok gently guy's

 

Jhonn, Please elaborate so a proper response can be put on the table.

 

Please see CoinOKC's post earlier in this thread. There's no need to elaborate, though I will say that I abhor nationalism - extreme or otherwise - of any form.

 

It is a step towards tyranny to expect or require children to robotically recite a pledge. It is nothing more (or less) than an attempt to indoctrinate children to blind obedience. There's an intertesting webiste at
http://rexcurry.net/stopthepledge2.html
which shows how the pledge was (as Cloudsweeper correctly noted) written by socialst Francis Bellamy, and originally included the stiff armed Nazi salute.

If we want our children to learn to THINK, then the only indoctrination they need is the sort that allows them freedom of thought and access to information, such that they may decide for themselves. Any "pledge" must always be taken freely and clearly understood. It must never be coerced or required, and the terms of the pledge must be clearly explained. How many children do you think understand the word "allegiance"?

That said... there is perhaps still a place for loyalty oaths, uncoerced and freely spoken. Many alternative versions of the pledge have been written... and loyalty to the principles espoused in the Constitution of the United States of America is a part of many of them. My personal favourite is:

I pledge allegiance to the ideals of the founders
of the United States of America
and to the Constitution on which they stand.
Governed by Reason
and the Guarantee
of Life, Liberty, and Justice for all.

I say this one whenever I am in attendance at an event where the pledge is publicly recited.

 

Welcome Back Tom :hail: Now I never knew that about the saluting bit, over here we have never had anything like a pledge of allegiance at school or in most walks of life. However I did have to do something similar when I joined the Army, but then I was happy to,

:kewl: