Carrying the Flag

"And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me."

-D&C 98:5

On July 3rd, 2021, my oldest son and I woke up early and drove the 21 miles to Grove Greek Canyon to spend the first of the holiday weekend with total strangers. I had heard about how this group, called Follow the Flag, hung a flag in this canyon each year and I had seen it from the freeway. Every year they were looking for volunteers to carry this large flag up the canyon and I was eager to be a part of it, but we had always had other commitments. 

This year the 4th of July was on a Sunday and because of religious beliefs in the area, they were carrying the flag up on the 3rd of July. My husband, not realizing it was the holiday weekend, made plans to go fishing with our youngest two boys and our neighbor and sons. If I was going to participate this was the year to go. 

I started out eager and enthusiastic about helping, although the newness of this and me not knowing anyone but my son had me a little bit nervous. The flag was on a truck and they started to pull out this long blue zipper covering and encouraged us to jump underneath a section of it. I told my son, let's go, and away we went. We got up the path a little way and I was already feeling the effects of being out of shape. I thought I'd be able to step out of line and hop back in when someone else got tired, not so. The trail was narrow and there wasn't really room to move around people, so I literally followed the flag most of the way. I was able to hop back in and help for a few minutes before they sent the flag out on the cable.   

I've thought about that experience for months. I've thought about the difficulty of "carrying the flag." The flag that we carried is 400 lbs. and it seems like it took about 30 to 40 people to carry it up the mountain. They say the flag stands for freedom, and as I think about carrying that flag or "freedom" I realize that my experience of carrying the flag was easy. Many generations of men and woman have carried the flag and paid a heavy price.

Today is Veterans Day. The men and women who fought for our freedoms carried the heavy price of leaving their families and going to war. That price is heavy enough. Some of these soldiers lost limbs. Many lost the peace of a safe and secure life and now live with minds that are constantly looking for danger. A lack of mental health is something I've dealt with so I can only imagine how difficult it is to carry that load. I'm certain there are more physical and emotional scares than I can even imagine. Many carrying that flag lost their life because of it.

When I think about the heaviness of our men and women in the armed forces carrying the flag, my gratitude runs deep! There honestly aren't words to express it. I'm thankful I was able to carry the flag for a few moments, so that I could appreciate more fully those who will carry a part of it for their entire lives. I am grateful for the freedom that came from the sacrifices of those veterans because I know that freedom isn't free! Thank you for paying that price! 

 

I am grateful for my freedom!

My son and I with the flag

           My husbands Grandpa who served in WWII      My father who served in Vietnam

"And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery"

-Moroni 48:11