Ragged Old Flag
Disclaimer: I only own this story.
A four-year old boy stood in the field waving a small flag eagerly waiting for the sun to go down as that's when his favorite part of the day would start. It was the Fourth of July and his family had already set up their chairs at the local fairgrounds to wait for the fireworks to start.
His dark hair caught the slight breeze in the air, ruffling it gently, his blue eyes wide and lit with excitement, as the Fourth of July was his favorite summer holiday. It was a day filled with barbeques, ice cream, and parades.
He took a few steps closer to towards where the fireworks are going to be fired, when he felt a pair of strong hands come to rest on his shoulder; stopping him before he could go much farther.
"Now where do you think you're going, Sport." Came the deep voice of his father from behind him.
The boy just tilted his head back as he pointed in a general direction and said: "firework."
"I know, but you promised not to wander off. Come on; let's go back to your Mom." His father said as he lifted the boy off the ground, leaving no room for argument. Not that the boy would have argued, to the four year old the best place to be was in his father's strong arms.
"Was he wandering off again?" Asked his mom as the boy and his father got back to where the family had set up their chairs.
"Yeah, he decided to get closer to the fireworks." His father said as he took his seat next to his mom.
The little boy couldn't help but notice a ragged flag that his father held. "Pops, that flag's so old. We gots new ones from the parade today."
"Well son, I'll tell you something about this flag." The boy's father said as he lifted his son onto his lap.
"When I was a bit older than you, my Pops gave me this flag. And told me how when he was a young man, he had to go to a place called Korea. He told me how he had taken this little flag with him; like his Father took it to Germany, and his father before him. They were American soldiers that went to fight for our country to keep others safe. And when I was eighteen, I went to a place called Vietnam; to fight for the same thing. And like my Pops before me, I took this flag with me." The little boy was studying the flag his father was holding, he noticed that it was fading and had several tears repaired; some of the white areas were stained brown.
"This flag has seen the world, and has been stained by the blood of young men and women that have gone to fight for our freedom. But even though it's old, it represents the price of freedom; as these stains remind us that freedom will always have a cost." The father paused in his story as he tried to think how to explain the next part to his young son.
"Unfortunately many people don't respect that cost anymore; they believe that since they aren't fighting for it, means that no one should. But if it wasn't for the sacrifices that those soldiers made, we wouldn't be able to have the freedom we enjoy today." The boy was quiet as the announcer stated that the fireworks were about to begin.
They stood quietly as a pastor said a prayer for those fighting for America in placed he had only heard of on the TV. As the beginning notes of the Star-Spangled Banner began to play, the family stood in respect. The boy looked up at his parents and noticed them standing at attention; saluting.
The boy thought about what his father had told him and began to think about the Fourth of July differently. He decided right then that he would one day be like his father; it might not be the most respected job any more, but it is one of the most important.
One last glance at his father before setting his eyes on the horizon, he raised his hand from his chest to placing it with his finger barely touched his temple. He stood proudly as the fireworks began, he was a Racer and he knew what his family and so many others had sacrificed so that he could have a day of ice cream and fireworks.
Rex Racer looked down at his young son with a smile. He wasn't sure if his son understood his story; but he was reminded of a night so long ago when he was standing where Wyatt is and Pops had shared with him the history of the ragged old flag.
Note: In the Now comics, Rex had served in the Army, so that's were I got this idea from. This story came from a story my grandfather told me when I asked him about an old flag he had with his Amy medals; when I was a little kid. The story was basically what he told me.
God bless our troops and God bless America.