
I Am the Flag of the

Of
America

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 over institutions of learning.
I
stand guard with 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 loved - I am revered.
I
am respected - and I am feared.
I have
fought in every battle
of every war
for more then 200 years.

I was
flown at Valley Forge,
Gettysburg,
Shiloh and Appamatox.
I
was there at San Juan Hill,
the
trenches of France,
in
the Argonne Forest,
Anzio, Rome and the beaches of Normandy.

Guam,
Okinawa, Korea and
KheSan,
Saigon, Vietnam know me.
I was
there.
I
led my troops, I was dirty, battleworn and tired,
But
my soldiers cheered me and I was proud.
I have
been burned, torn and trampled on the
streets of
countries I have helped set free.
It
does not hurt for I am invincible.
I
have been soiled upon, burned, torn and
trampled
in the streets of my country.
And
when it's done by those
Whom
I've served in battle - it hurts.
But
I shall overcome - for I am strong.
I have
slipped the bonds of Earth
and stood watch over the uncharted
frontiers
of space from my vantage point on the moon.
I have
borne silent witness to all of America's finest hours.
But
my finest hours are yet to come.
When
I am torn into strips and used as bandages
for my
wounded comrades on the battlefield,
When
I am flown at half-mast to honor my soldier,
Or
when I lie in the trembling arms of a grieving parent
at
the grave of their fallen son or daughter,
I am
proud.

Respect
me that I may fly proudly
for another two hundred years.