Old Glory

[Chief Seeway]

One of the threads in the political forum reminded me of this. If you've never heard it or seen it, try reading it out loud. Enjoy.



I AM OLD GLORY


I AM THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
MY NAME IS OLD GLORY.


I FLY ATOP THE WORLD’S TALLEST BUILDINGS.
I STAND WATCH IN AMERICA’S HALLS OF JUSTICE.
I FLY MAJESTICALLY ABOVE GREAT INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING.
I STAND GUARD WITH THE GREATEST
MILITARY POWER IN THE WORLD.
LOOK UP AND SEE ME!


I STAND FOR PEACE - HONOR - TRUTH AND JUSTICE.
I STAND FOR FREEDOM.
I AM CONFIDENT - I AM ARROGANT.
I AM PROUD.


WHEN I AM FLOWN WITH MY FELLOW BANNERS,
MY HEAD IS A LITTLE HIGHER,
MY COLORS A LITTLE TRUER.
I BOW TO NO ONE!


I AM RECOGNIZED ALL OVER THE WORLD.
- I AM WORSHIPPED
- I AM SALUTED
- I AM RESPECTED
- I AM REVERED
- I AM LOVED,
AND I AM FEARED!


I HAVE FOUGHT
IN EVERY BATTLE OF EVERY WAR
FOR MORE THAN 200 YEARS:
GETTYSBURG,
SHILO,
APPOMATTOX,
SAN JUAN HILL,
THE TRENCHES OF FRANCE,
THE ARGONNE FOREST,
ANZIO,
ROME,
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC,
THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY,
PEARL HARBOR,
MIDWAY,
GUAM,
OKINAWA,
JAPAN,
KOREA,
VIET NAM,
BEIRUT,
GRENADA,
PANAMA,
IN THE PERSIAN GULF,
SOMALIA,
BOSNIA,
AND A SCORE OF PLACES LONG FORGOTTEN,
BY ALL THOSE WHO WERE THERE WITH ME...
I WAS THERE!


WHENEVER MY TROOPS WENT IN HARMS WAY,
I WAS THERE WITH THEM.
I’VE BEEN WITH GROUND TROOPS,
ON SHIPS, SUBMARINES, AIRCRAFT, AND TANKS.
I LED MY SOLDIERS, SAILORS, AIRMEN AND MARINES.
I FOLLOWED THEM,
AND WATCHED OVER THEM.
THEY LOVED ME.


I WAS ON A SMALL HILL IN IWO JIMA,
I WAS DIRTY, BATTLE-WORN AND TIRED.
BUT MY SOLDIERS CHEERED ME!
I STILL STAND WATCH
OVER THE ARIZONA MEMORIAL IN MEMORY
OF THE MANY SAILORS WHO DIED THERE.
AND I AM PROUD!


I HAVE BEEN SOILED, BURNED, TORN AND TRAMPLED
ON THE STREETS OF COUNTRIES THAT I HAVE HELPED SET FREE.
IT DOES NOT HURT. FOR I AM INVINCIBLE.


I HAVE BEEN SOILED, BURNED, TORN AND TRAMPLED
ON THE STREETS OF MY OWN COUNTRY AND
WHEN IT IS BY THOSE WITH WHOM I HAVE SERVED IN BATTLE
- IT HURTS.
BUT I SHALL OVERCOME.
FOR I AM STRONG!


I HAVE SLIPPED THE BONDS OF EARTH
AND FROM MY VANTAGE POINT ON THE MOON,
I STAND WATCH OVER
THE UNCHARTED NEW FRONTIERS OF SPACE.
I HAVE BEEN THE SILENT WITNESS
TO ALL OF AMERICA’S FINEST HOURS.


BUT MY FINEST HOUR COMES
WHEN I AM TORN IN STRIPS TO BE USED
AS BANDAGES FOR MY WOUNDED COMRADES
ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE
AND WHEN I FLY AT HALF MAST
TO HONOR MY SOLDIERS, MY SAILORS, MY AIRMEN, MY MARINES.


AND WHEN I LIE IN THE TREMBLING ARMS
OF A GRIEVING MOTHER,
AT THE GRAVESIDE OF HER FALLEN SON OR DAUGHTER --
I AM PROUD.

MY NAME IS “OLD GLORY” LONG MAY I WAVE, DEAR GOD, LONG MAY I WAVE

[CarMike]

Thank you seeway! First time i've seen that one.

I HAVE BEEN SOILED, BURNED, TORN AND TRAMPLED
ON THE STREETS OF MY OWN COUNTRY AND
WHEN IT IS BY THOSE WITH WHOM I HAVE SERVED IN BATTLE
- IT HURTS.
BUT I SHALL OVERCOME.
FOR I AM STRONG!

F'n ay!

[bfauble83]

I've heard that on the radio before, great post.

[Chief Seeway]

Yeah, it is pretty cool. There are variations I've heard.

[JoeDaSchmoe]

Wow, I like that a lot.

[skinsfan44]

Great post, seeway.

There are some people in this country(from the LEFT coast) that need to read that.

[jsarno]

that's the first time I heard it, and I'm not ashamed to admit it sent tinglies over my body while reading it.
Good post.

[TexSkin]

Good stuff seeway

[Chief Seeway]

Thanks guys. You should hear it read during a military retirement ceremony. A folded flag is passed from one person to the next, each saluting it before it is passed. The flag ends up passed to the guest of honor (retiree). The flag detail is comprised of a military member in all of the pay grades that the retiree has ascended. The passing of the flag honors not only the career of the retiree but also what the flag has meant to our country.

[Spence]

Originally posted by skinsfan44
There are some people in this country(from the LEFT coast) that need to read that. Liberals [from California or elsewhere] are usually the most patriotic people I know. We just don't question other people's patriotism to win elections.

And we don't reveal the names of CIA agents either. We leave that sort of thing to you-know-who.

By the way, thanks for the post, Seeway. I enjoyed it.

[Skinzaholic]

Originally posted by Spence

And we don't reveal the names of CIA agents either. We leave that sort of thing to you-know-who.




Starts out as a thread about the flag... ends up in the CIA exposure debate.


Gotta love ya Spence... always the opportunist!:D

[Spence]

I was responding to an opportunist. Someone attacked the patriotism of liberals. I won't stand for it. Conservatives have been doing that to liberals for too damn long and I can tell you that all of us liberals are sick and tired of it. I have plenty of conservative friends, but most of my friends are liberals. So is pretty much my entire nuclear family. I've never heard any of them utter a single disrespectful word about the flag. All of them love their country dearly.

My policy is this: Every single time I see a conservative attacking the patriotism of liberals I will respond. Forcefully. If anyone out there does not like it, my advice is to stop attacking liberals. I won't start this junk, but I won't let anyone else finish it either.

[IowaSkinsFan]

Originally posted by Spence
I was responding to an opportunist. Someone attacked the patriotism of liberals. I won't stand for it. Conservatives have been doing that to liberals for too damn long and I can tell you that all of us liberals are sick and tired of it. I have plenty of conservative friends, but most of my friends are liberals. So is pretty much my entire nuclear family. I've never heard any of them utter a single disrespectful word about the flag. All of them love their country dearly.

My policy is this: Every single time I see a conservative attacking the patriotism of liberals I will respond. Forcefully. If anyone out there does not like it, my advice is to stop attacking liberals. I won't start this junk, but I won't let anyone else finish it either.

I assume you will do the same if a liberal does something you don't like? Your posts give the implication that ALL liberals are perfect people and would never do anything like that, so you call out all conservatives who do.

Why do you have to say:

Every single time I see a conservative attacking the patriotism of liberals I will respond

Why do you use labels and tags on people like "conservatives only do this", and "liberals are the most patriotic". YOU offend so many people with your holier than thou posts and are very condescending just because people don't see things your way. I don't agree with your political views, but I have never questioned your patriotism, AND IF OFFENDS ME GREATLY WHEN YOU USE BLANKET CHARACTERIZATIONS THAT BECAUSE YOU ARE A LIBERAL YOU ARE SOMEHOW AUTOMATICALLY MORE PATRIOTIC THAN SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T SHARE THE SAME VIEWS AS YOU.

Doesn't that make you the least patriotic person on this site?

I won't start this junk, but I won't let anyone else finish it either

Translation, I won't stop until I have rammed my perceptions of things down everyone's monitors and they accept my interpretation of the world as gospel.

For someone who is so patriotic, you are amazingly non-tolerant of views that are different than your own. It must be great to be you and be right all the time.

[hail2skins]

Good stuff seeway.