It is strange how this scene affected me. For some reason it brought me back to the late 60s and my early years of grade school. I remember the feelings I had while saying the Pledge of Allegiance in first grade at Jolley School in Vermillion, SD. We all stood with our hands over our hearts every morning. I was never bothered by that, and still I am not. I’m a fan of ritual, and this one seemed to get our class to settle, bind together and focus us on the day ahead.

“An allegiance is a duty of fidelity said to be owed by a subject or a citizen to his/her state or sovereign.” – Wikipedia

Watching these fellows place the flagpole in position, then raise the flag above the memorial, rang all those old bells in my memories. I have witnessed many seniors and veterans come by this corner to see the memorial components as they have been set & secured, and I can feel the bindings of our collective legacy, history and sacrifice woven between each one. The traffic slows, the visitors stroll up, they read and they pause. It is all very essential for us to remember; especially in this caustic political climate. Maybe the ritual of visiting this memorial corner will help our community to settle, bind together and focus us on our days ahead.

Stop by and see it sometime; hand on heart.