This essay was written in 2001 and published by our local newspaper.
My wife’s family (on her mother’s side) live in Luxembourg. In 1979, four years after we were married, we went for a two week visit to introduce me and reacquaint her to all the cousins, aunt, uncles and her grandmother. The apartment we where we were staying in Luxembourg City was three blocks from a huge plaza in the city center, surrounded by sidewalk cafes. In the plaza was a bandstand. We went for a walk that first night and found that there was a concert going on in the plaza so naturally we moved in closer to listen. It was July 3rd and the first song we heard was The Star Spangled Banner. Nobody has ever accused me of ever being overly patriotic, but hearing that song, thousands of miles from home gave me chills and I felt a depth of pride in being American, something I had always taken for granted.
The next day we were taken to the American military cemetery in Hamm, outside of Luxembourg City. George Patton is buried there, along with over five thousand other Americans who died in WWII. It is a beautiful place, with marble relief maps, a beautiful chapel and of course, the arrow straight rows of crosses and Stars of David that mark the graves. General Patton is alone at the head of all his fallen soldiers. What struck me though, was the fact that there was a small American flag on every single grave. I remarked to our host that that must be a difficult job placing all those flags. He told me that it was not the work of any single person. Every grave in that cemetery has a family in the city that is responsible for it. On every American holiday, the family goes to the cemetery and places the flag. A few days later they come out again and remove the flag. I found out the reason for this is that twice during WWII Luxembourg was liberated from German occupation, the second time by Patton during the Battle of the Bulge. They have never forgotten this and the responsibility for a grave at the cemetery is considered a great honor. It passes proudly from generation to generation. For the second straight day, I was more proud to be an American than I had ever been in my life.
The American flag is a powerful symbol. It represents freedom not just American citizens, but to citizens of nations around the world. As witnessed by families in the United States, in Luxembourg, across Europe and around the world, that freedom does not come without a cost. Many men and women have died, so that others would be allowed to live their lives as they want. Freedom is not just the right to worship in the church of your choice, to read or publish a newspaper, to get an education or pursue the career of your dreams. Freedom is also Nazis marching in Skokie, Illinois, it is 200,000 blacks in the National Mall to listen to Dr. Martin Luther King, it is Strom Thurmond in the Senate and David Duke running for Congress. It is rap music and South Park and it is burning the flag to make a political statement. Freedom is a messy thing. But that is what makes it so valuable, because we have freedom we can grow, change and make our world a better place.
Several weeks ago a letter to the editor in our local newspaper stated that perhaps we have taken freedom of speech too far. I can not think of a more chilling statement. Who is to be the one to decide where to draw the line. Should it be Republican congressmen? By supporting the Anti-flag burning amendment to the Constitution of the United States that is what they are doing. They are telling us that we are no longer free to oppose government policy as we see fit. We must protest in a manner acceptable to them or go to jail.
If a group of veterans decide to get rid of some old American flags by taking them down to the VFW hall and burning them, they are hailed as patriots. If a group of hippies, upset at politics as usual in Washington D.C. burn those same flags on the Capitol steps, they would be put in prison. So clearly it is not the act that is being made illegal, it is the thought. When the government makes particular thoughts illegal, we have begun the slide into tyranny.