What did you do for your Patriots Day observation? Chester Pike and Freedom Chapters teamed up for the observance. On February 24, 2008, our chapters sat in on a very inspiring presentation from a guest speaker named George Metz, who portrayed Gen. George Washington. He spoke about "This Ragged Old Flag", a story about two gentlemen talking about the flag of the United States of America; how she served her time through the foundation of this country, during the civil war, in both World Wars, pressed on through the jungles of Korea and Vietnam, marched through the sandy deserts of Desert Storm, and is currently in Iraq.

He went on to say that "She’s in fairly good condition for all she has been through. This glorious banner still waves because she has plenty of spirit left in her." He allowed us to think for a moment and then in closing his presentation, he went on to say that most Americans take for granted the bounty we enjoy in our everyday lives. In many countries around the world, the selection of food, consumer items, and technology that we enjoy are not available at any price. Our super markets, Home Depots, and electronics stores have shelves full of a wide selection of goods. With a seemingly unlimited supply, we go to the store and select between things like nails, hammers, and battery powered tools. Some countries don’t have that luxury. With this, he left our thoughts on how lucky we really are to be in this country, and under the protection of that “Ragged Old Flag”.

Robert Walkling