(Written
and posted 30 May 2022)
Another Memorial Day is here. There will be many parades, much flag waving, political speeches, faux patriotism, picnics, drinking, ad nauseam … but do we really care about those who served? I am sure that there will be many people to tell me I am wrong when I say this, but the answer is “No”, we do not; we have successfully transformed a day meant to remember, reflect, and honor into a paid day off of work. Being a child of a veteran, being married to someone whose father received a Purple Heart and whose grandfather and great-grandfather served, and having a child who is currently stationed abroad, this makes me sad.
How have I come to this conclusion, you ask? Every Saturday I go to estate sales to buy inventory for the shop. A typical estate sale occurs when someone dies, usually elderly, and the heirs need to get rid of the stuff that they do not want. When a veteran dies, the family receives a folded flag, often in a display case. We have one for my wife’s grandfather, and proudly display it with his medals and photograph; our way of honoring his service in World War II. At one of these estate sales, we walked into a room which had all of the medals and the folded flag in display case, all with price tags on them. This man had been in the Navy, and when his widow passed the heirs decided to sell the memorials of his service. The price for the flag in the triangular display case? Ten dollars. Service to our country is only worth ten dollars, apparently. Since my mother has my father’s flag and display case, and being the youngest of five the chances of my getting it are slim and none, I purchased the flag and display case to honor my father, and now it is prominently displayed next to the one for my wife’s grandfather by the service picture of my son the Marine.
As it turns out, this was not the only time we have seen a veteran’s flag and display case at an estate state. Think about that – these people served their country, and their contribution is insignificant, merely a few dollars to be made; bargain bin material. Why? Does their sacrifice not mean anything? Do we not value ourselves? Flags are another thing I have seen in abundance at estate sales. There is an election coming up, and there is a ton of rhetoric, especially from the right, about patriotism and respect for the flag, yada yada. But they do not really mean it. Many of these sales are at houses filled with memorabilia from that particular political party, yet I see flags casually crumpled and tossed helter skelter. At one of these, I walked into a room to see several flags just thrown on the floor, and people stepping on them, because nothing says patriotism like stepping on a flag. Ironically, one of the people stepping on the flag wearing a shirt with one of those pro-‘Merica slogans on it. When the room was empty, I picked up the flags and started going through them, as I needed a flag for the house. Naturally, most of the flags are made in China, and I refuse to buy an American flag made in another country; not at all patriotic or showing support for the country. I noticed that one of the flags, a very large hand-stitched cloth one, was a service flag of some sort, and that it’s star pattern looked odd. As I uncrumpled it, I counted the stars, and there were forty-eight of them! This is a flag that has not been used in my lifetime, and it is the flag that my father and wife’s grandfather served under. I folded it neatly and made sure that the 45 dollar tag was showing, and completed my purchase.
The heirs were delighted that they sold this raggedy flag for that much, that a sucker had indeed been found. After my purchase was complete, I thanked them for having such a valuable find so reasonably priced, and pointed out the number of stars. The smirk vanished. I left, happy that I found a new way to honor my father with the actual flag he served under, but sad that people just don’t value our veterans, their service, and our country. Yes, our country has a few flaws, and our politics have become toxic, but it is still our country. Let’s honor it and those who served it. Remember. Reflect.