A/N: This is an essay I had to write for my English class.  The topic was “What the Pledge Means to Me.” Here it is:

More Than a Pledge

           

Students recite the 31 words of the Pledge of Allegiance every morning across the country, often without much thought.  It is amazing to stop and think of the significance of what the Pledge is really saying.  It is a proclamation of our loyalty and devotion to the Flag, but more than that it is a mark of our gratitude toward  the Americans that have risked their lives to preserve the meaning of the Flag.  We are also promising our faithfulness to the Government that the Flag represents.

            When I hear the Pledge of Allegiance I think of one specific event that will forever be etched in my memory.  I was at a Memorial Day Parade when I was very young, probably 5 or 6, and the Flag came by on one of the floats.  The man on the float started to recite the Pledge.  Many people, especially the kids that were around, paid little or no attention to what the man was saying.  A few of the adults removed their hats, and even fewer recited the Pledge along with the man.  But there was on person that caught my eye.  He was in his veteran’s uniform and his eyes were filled with fire as he looked at the people who were more interested in finishing their conversations than showing respect to the Flag and the Pledge. He looked at one particular group of people who were paying no attention at all to the parade and said under his breath, “You have no idea what was sacrificed so that you could disrespect your Nation like that.”  Those words will always echo in my head when I hear the Pledge.

            But when I hear of the words of the Pledge, it is not really the Flag that waves in my mind.  The Pledge represents our Nation, and more specifically the heroes who have helped to defend her.  It pays tribute to the great men and women who have gone unnoticed by many to secure a nation that to this day remains the brightest beacon of hope and freedom throughout the world. 

            It is important, especially as Memorial Day has just passed us by and Flag Day is on the horizon; to stop and think about the short paragraph we recite every morning almost mechanically.  We can never forget what we are actually saying, and more importantly, we can never falter from the allegiance that we pledge.