From Sea to Shining Sea – A 10,000 Flag Salute to Veterans CPT (r) Tyler Merritt November 9, 2016 Relentlessly Patriotic 823 It’s always a great thing to see acts of patriotism from our youngest citizens. This is what happened this week at Van Wert Elementary school in Rockmart, Georgia. A Proverbial Ocean of Flags If you were to go out to the school today, spread out over a vast area, you would see a waving ocean of red, white and blue. That’s the sort of thing we love to see and hear about at Nine Line News. And the story behind it is one of the best stories we’ve heard in recent months. With all of the political turmoil and uncertainty going on, it’s great to see the future of our nation take such bold action. It was initially the idea of Christina Garrett, a paraprofessional at the school. Tragically, Christina is a widow. Her husband died after returning from Afghanistan and it left a gap that, as many Gold Star Families know, will never fully heal. But keeping the memory alive helps considerably in the healing process. Garrett knew that there was another reason to find a way to mark Veteran’s Day — her son Timothy and her daughter Hope. She saw this as a way to connect with her and to share in keeping Hope’s father’s memory alive. A Crew to Help They weren’t the only ones, though. A group consisting of family friends and relatives all joined together to help plant the 10,000 flags into the ground. And it wasn’t a short exercise. According to the Fox affiliate that first printed the story, it took them all over 20 hours of work over the course of two days to get them all planted and in place. And the result is a sight to behold. Garrett noted, “It is a way for my kids to understand that putting out a small flag, even ten thousand flags, doesn’t compare to what just one veteran has done for us.” Timothy was barely a month old when his father died. Planting these flags was a time for him to reflect on his father, even though they never got to meet. Hope thought about just how powerful of an image it was to see all 10,000 flags assembled, paying tribute to all of the brave men and women who had sacrificed for their country. The community came in to support them as well, with a special GoFundMe page set up to help defer the cost of the giant-yet-makeshift memorial. Last year, they did 7,500. This year, they wanted to top that, and in so doing, have helped the locals to commemorate our honored dead in a pretty awesome fashion. Relentless Patriotism Following election day, it’s a great honor to experience the process of participating in our process. It comes in just in time for Veteran’s Day and memorials just like these all over the nation. It really is a special time in the US, regardless of the tumult and problems. It lets us know that things will be okay. But it also points out the need to pass on our values as Americans to the next generation. It isn’t enough to tell them, we have to show them what’s right. We need to show them with our actions as well as our words just what citizenship means, and what it cost to ensure the rights that we enjoy every day.
