When I see the American flag, I feel our country’s history.
I’m lying in silence at Lexington, waiting in tense anticipation for the first order to be given. I can practically feel the fear rolling off of my fellow men. But I can also feel hope; a sense of reckless ambition and a fierce loyalty to our cause that will enable us to lay down our lives, without hesitation, for the freedom we know all men deserve. I hear that first shot, and then the sound of my own voice joined in a furious uproar with the men who share my vision; the sound of freedom. I know we will fight, and I know we will win.

When I see the American flag, I understand our country’s present.
I understand the love of country that drives thousands of brave men and women to give their lives to defend our country; I grasp the enormous importance of their sacrifice and the necessity of their mission: to preserve the democracy and freedom that represents and makes America. My highest goal is to someday be counted among their ranks; to me there is no higher honor.

When I see the American flag, I feel the promise of our country’s future.
I see the beauty of a system that allows me to succeed based on my own ability, and I feel the hope that accompanies that promise. I feel a responsibility to those who will come after me, and I am inspired by those who have come before; I will live up to their legacy. I will not waste the potential that their sacrifices have allowed me to have; I will not take my liberty for granted.

When I see the American flag, I see what has been and what could be, and I am inspired to undertake the task of preserving the unprecedented freedom that only America provides.