FLAG TRIBUTES A SELECTION
In response to many requests, this selection of tributes to the flag is
made available. They will add to any patriotic program with their messages of
inspiration.
THE MAKING OF THE FLAG
(Tribute written by M.W Bro. Paul H. Dorsey, Jr., Past Grand Master,
Oklahoma.)
Oh! Gallant Banner, red and white and blue, how bold I see you in your peace
and quiet grandeur there-A bit of cloth and splash Or color that conceals The
valor and devotion written in each fold.
You draw my gaze and compel me to look upon you with awe and reverence! As in
a dream, my thoughts touch on moments from history past and the scenes flash
across my consciousness like pictures on a movie screen. I see-
Those dedicated and farsighted men, so well acquainted with our Brotherhood,
who laid the foundation-stones of our Democracy; who in Boston Harbor brought
the kettle to a boil and brewed a giant cup of tea--then, in the darkness, a
winking light high above the river, then muffled oars, then horsemen riding
desperately to rouse the countryside against marauding Redcoat-Lexington and
Concord, men fighting as no fight was ever fought before--with our great Brother
Washington as he and his beleaguered men survived the terrible hardships of the
bitter wintering at Valley Forge--and at Yorktown where Independence's victory
was gained.
I know, proud Flag, you were not there; but, those men, those deeds are woven
in the fabric that you wear.
And still more I see-
A young man, captive on a British ship, after night-long battle, saw you,
'Star-Spangled', still flying proudly above a battered fort; and there your song
was born. In masquerade, a single star, you waved above a lonely mission as
brave men fought and died for freedom at the Alamo. You were there with dashing
'Teddy' as his Roughriders conquered San Juan Hill--and with our 'Doughboys' in
the trenches of French battlefields as they fought and tipped the scale of
victory 'Over There'. And then! that day of awful infamy when 'Rising Sun'
erupted from the sky in treachery and brave men died without a chance to strike
a blow in your defense. It seems beyond the bounds of possibility that you
survived that dreadful moment; and yet, you staggered on and slowly, surely
gained your strength as battle after frightful battle was fought. And Oh! your
day of glory came when Iwo Jima's sands were breached and, high upon the
mountain, brave Marines raised your proud colors.
Oh! how I laughed and cheered and wept with pride To see you in your glory
there above the smoke And guns and blazing bush and shattered earth And
straining men whose efforts changed the battle's tide.
More pictures pass--and many are the deeds from history's pages that stir my
memories. They are the bold threads of your tapestry, each one speaking of those
'Makers of the Flag' whose lives are the stuff of story and of legend. But, they
are not all the threads, nor even most, because-
The tired, the poor, the weary, come home to us, are 'Makers of the Flag'.
You raise the wheat--you mine the coal--you make the steel-you enforce the
laws--you teach our children-you bring God's Word to us--you do all the things
which must be done to make our country, this one we live in, great. You are
truly 'Makers of the Flag'!
And so, I make my tribute to this Gallant Banner, which thrills me when I am
in its presence and excites my deepest feelings when I sing its 8888. But, I
also dedicate this tribute to each of you for your part in 'The Making of The
Flag!'
FREEDOM'S BANNER
(A presentation given at The Grand Lodge of Oklahoma by Wor. Bro Allan D.
Large, Grand Flag Bearer.)
As we meet today under the protective folds of Old Glory and pause to pay
tribute to it, let us reflect on its glorious history and contemplate the things
for which it stands.
The Stars and Stripes was born two-hundred and ten years ago amid the first
flames of America's fight for freedom. She has seen the transition from horses
pulling carriages over cobblestone streets to silver jets streaking across wide
blue skies. She has traveled from New York to San Francisco, from Chicago to New
Orleans, across every sea and across every continent. Her pride has been
unfurled on sailing ships, steamers and mighty vessels of armed power to bring
peace and freedom to oppressed people throughout the world. She has soared on
the tip of a mighty Saturn with blazing engines through the silent seas of space
until she stood proudly on the gray surface of the shining moon.
She was in the hands of our first President in the blood and snow at Valley
Forge and was there when our Nation was born--small, with a wilderness at her
back and seas at her sides, and not one friendly neighbor to whom she could call
for help.
She has been the inspiration for untold millions, many of whom have followed
her into battle so that we might continue to enjoy the life, liberty and pursuit
of happiness which have been granted to every American as the heritage of free
men. And when they have given the ultimate sacrifice for her cause, she gently
wraps them in her love and drapes her honors over their caskets. She flies
proudly over their green graves, where ever they may be, praying that wars might
end forever. She never forgets them as her color is dyed a richer hue with their
blood. She rises every morning to watch over the graves of our finest men whose
years were short but whose service was longer than we can ever measure.
Our flag is a symbol of a nation such as the world has never known because
she represents something the world has never seen--a government of the people,
by the people, and for the people. History gives no example of any nation, other
than America, championing the cause of the oppressed and downtrodden peoples of
earth, asking no reward except that all people have a right to live peaceably
without fear of aggression or dictatorship. We ask only that people be allowed
to be free as God intended. For no country knows greater freedom than our
country-freedom for each to choose his life's work; freedom to travel from state
to state without having to obtain permission from dictator-like authorities;
freedom to try and succeed; freedom to fail and not be cast into prison for
honest failure; freedom to speak, write, praise, question or criticize anyone
regardless of how high his station or rank; freedom to save and to build;
freedom to worship or not to worship, as your own mind and heart dictates.
But freedom has a tremendous cost. Reflect on the words of George Washington
at Valley Forge when--cold, wet, and hungry--in the snow and wind he turned to
one of his officers and said: ''This liberty will seem so cheap to those who
will not have to pay its cost." Those freedoms which we possess might seem cheap
to people who have not had to pay the full price for them. I wonder what America
would be like today without the sacrifice of those who loved their country more
than themselves and mercy more than life. These people gave us a great gift, so
how do we show our gratitude? By erecting statues? Statues are impressive, but
they end up mainly being tourist attractions. Placing a wreath on the Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier is a nice gesture--but eventually the wreath withers and is
forgotten. Speeches are good, but they vanish almost as the words are spoken.
Let us look to the Bible in the First Epistle of John, chapter 3 verse 18 for
the answer: ''Let us not love in word neither in tongue, but in deed and in
truth." So how do we love in deed and truth? We can live lives dedicated to the
faithful, intelligent use of our freedom symbolized by our flag.
Above all else, in gratitude to God and to all who have given so much, we
must have a real concept of "one nation under God", united in defense of truth
and the American Dream so that America might have a new birth of freedom. To
accomplish this rebirth, we pass the Red, White and Blue to our younger
generation with the admonition of our late President John F. Kennedy:
''Let the word go forth from this time and place to friend and foe alike,
that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans. ''Let every
nation know whether it wishes us well or ill that we shall pay any price, bear
any burden, meet any hardship, support any friends, oppose any foe to assure the
survival and success of liberty. "Now the trumpet summons us again not as a call
to bear arms, though arms we need, not as a call to battle, though embattled we
are, but as a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, a struggle
against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.''
Let us pledge our loyalty to this great flag that expresses the will of a
free people. Let us be obedient to every thing it represents; our country's
laws, our constitutional authority, a recognition of the right of every human
being to the enjoyment of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Let us remember that when we pledge allegiance to our flag, that we are
honoring and saying thanks to every man, woman and child who has suffered and
died--directly or indirectly--for our country which has been made great by their
sacrifice. Let us preserve and defend this grand old flag at home and abroad and
thereby bequeath a priceless heritage to generations yet unborn.
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