Sunday, October 21, 2001
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Sunday, October 21, 2001 |
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Something
to remember about the flag and pledge of allegiance
I keep a file of information and articles I feel we all need to know as Christians and Americans. I come from the (before Sept. 11) dying group of an un-ashamedly patriotic family. In fact, in our family if you wanted to get into a very quick, bottom-line, red-faced argument, all you had to do is run down the USA. I guess it came from two generations of the Herndon men and their families serving our country through several wars. Don't get me wrong our country has made mistakes and will in the future, but having traveled to over 36 countries, there is no comparison anywhere-not even close. The following speech was made by then Capt. John McCain, U.S. Navy (Ret.), who represents Arizona in the U. S. Senate. I feel says it all. I quote it here. "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 North Vietnamese (NVA) kept us in solitary confinement of 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 U.S. 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 wan to succeed. As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese 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 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 flag. 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. "So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, 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." "PASS THIS ON... and on... and on!!!!!!" PS. To Jane Fonda: I don't suppose you read many of my articles, but you should especially this one. God Bless America! Dr. Knox Herndon is the pastor of His House Community Church (SBC). Rev. Greg Mausz is the senior associate pastor. Dr. Lydia Herndon is the Sunday School superintendent, Bible study coordinator and teacher. The church is just south of Senoia on Ga. Highway 85, a mile past Ga. Highway 16 and just below the fire station. Visitors are welcome. Church office and prayer line number is 770-719-2365.E-mail address is KHERN2365@aol.com.
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