It seems to be a trick question these days to ask some one what our flag stands for.
I went to a Veterans Day ceremony (Nov.11, 2007) and I was disappointed by one womans' ignorance. That disappointment turned into anger by the end of the ceremony; I felt this way because I noticed a small flag on the ground and a womans' foot on it. And over the course of the ceremony I noticed her look down, roll it out from under her foot, then when she looked up, she ended up steping on it again. This happened a few times, and when she kicked it out from under her foot again I picked it up, brushed dirt off of it, and kept it.
Our flag should be treated with the highest respect and care. Our flag is the symbol of millions of veterans and soldiers, dead and living, who have payed for our freedom. Freedom is not free, it has been payed for with the blood and health of this nations' most patriotic, and dedicated people. So when you see a flag on the ground please pick it up and show it the respect it deserves.
POW stands for Prisoner Of War which is someone who was captured by the enemy they were fighting.
MIA stands for Missing In Action which means the body of the soldier was not recovered and they cannot be found.
A Veteran is a man or woman who served in the armed forces. Whether that man or woman saw war or not, he/she was still brave enough to sign up for it. Some Veterans saw their friends die, and some were left behind. Some were lucky enough to be stationed somewhere that didn't get over run by the enemy, some weren't so lucky and were wounded, some by a bomb, some by a bullet because where they were stationed was over run or attacked.
Whenever you see this flag or banner in someones window it means that who ever is displaying it has a family member serving in the armed forces.
Whenever you see this flag it means that who ever is displaying the flag or banner has two family members serving in the armed forces. For each star shown on these flags there is a family member serving in the armed forces.
This is the Metal Of Honor; the highest award that can be earned in the US military.This was first awarded to twenty-one men who on March 25, 1863 penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy territory, and captured a railroad train. A soldier is presented with this award for displaying courage and exceding the expectations of the well trained soldier.
This is the Purple Heart; this award recognizes no rank. A soldier is presented with this award when he or she is injured by the enemy in battle.