Red Skelton, in this greatly beloved and much watched video recording, he tells us what the Pledge of Allegiance means.

That line will be really funny to some people and a complete miss for others. I am interested in two news stories today. One from Concord, North Carolina and the other from Levenworth, Kansas.

I appreciate that the National Guard supplied and installed these classrooms with flags and placards with the Pledge of Allegiance. Maybe this will inspire more people to get involved in either this project or one like it somewhere else.

A red, white and blue salute – Independent Tribune – Concord and Kannapolis

CONCORD – Prior to this week, students in Michelle Fort’s second-period biology class recited the Pledge of Allegiance while focused on a mounted television that displayed the words during the morning announcements.

The Central Cabarrus High School students still faced the direction of the television Tuesday, but only to salute the newly mounted U.S. flag just below it.

“It’s nice to have the real thing there,” Central Cabarrus Principal Brad Hinson said after the pledge.

The N.C. National Guard began installing U.S. flags and small placards containing the pledge in every Central Cabarrus classroom that didn’t have them at the request of the school’s Key Club.

Leavenworth Times – News

It may be a little out of their jurisdiction, but members of the Leavenworth Police Department recently were presented a memento from Baghdad.

Leavenworth Police Chief Lee Doehring said police Officer Brian Anderson, who’s been deployed in Iraq with the Army Reserve, presented an American flag last week to the department.

Doehring said the flag flew over one of Saddam Hussein’s former palaces in Baghdad.

The department also was presented a certificate of authenticity attesting that the flag flew over the headquarters of the Multi-National Corps in Iraq. The certificate bears the signatures of the unit’s commander, Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, and Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Ciotola.

The Daily News: Little patriots

GREENVILLE — While many American soldiers are sent overseas every day to serve their country, nine little patriots are paying tribute to them right here in Greenville.

Brownie Troop 3077, a group of first- and second-grade girls from Baldwin Heights Elementary School, may not be old enough to earn Purple Hearts or Medals of Honor, but they’re working diligently to earn merit badges for their assistance in the community.

“Since September the girls have been learning about our country and patriotism and have been earning badges on those issues,” Troop Leader Lindsey Bathurst explained.

State-Journal.com

Irene English couldnt stop smiling. There was a sparkle in her eye that matched the red, white and blue sparkle of the rhinestones on her belt buckle as she sat on a bench in the third-floor courtroom. This was her big day. English, 39, is now a United States citizen.

“Its great,” she said. “Its all great.” English is one of 49 individuals who participated in a naturalization ceremony Friday at the John C. Watts Federal Building. The ceremony, which lasted approximately 45 minutes, was filled with emotion as people from 21 different nations took an oath pledging their allegiance to America.

Keeping the flag flying high | The Bryan-College Station Eagle

Jackson Derbes holds an American flag as David Hard, Anna Miller and Sophia North and other members of their first-grade class recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the end of their performance of A New Flag for a New Country on Friday afternoon at St. Thomas Early Learning Center in College Station.

The students were dressed as historical figures: Jackson as George Washington, David as James Madison, Anna as Martha Washington and Sophia as Dolly Madison.

The protocol for the Pledge of Allegiance is laid out in the Flag code Section 4

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”, should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute. (Italics are mine.)

The Search Begins

Easy enough, but what about protocol for the National Anthem? I began at Google and started searching and discovered a lot of information that couldn’t be verified. I kept digging.

I located one site that “claimed” to quote the U.S. Flag Code as found on the American Legion website. It contained a section that wasn’t in my copy of the U.S. Flag Code, so I went to the American Legion website to see which version of the Flag Code they were using. It turned out they are using the same one I am, and there is no reference to the National Anthem contained in the Flag Code.

I did find a section on the Legion site titled National Anthem and it did reference the U.S. Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Section 171 for the proper protocol. Then to confirm, I went to the U.S. Government site containing the United States Codes and dug into Title 36.

This brought up the next hurdle. There was no Chapter 10. WHAT?

More digging …

Eureka

EUREKA! The research paid off in a big way and here is what I located.

• TITLE 36–PATRIOTIC AND NATIONAL OBSERVANCES, CEREMONIES, AND ORGANIZATIONS
  • SUBTITLE I–PATRIOTIC AND NATIONAL OBSERVANCES AND CEREMONIES
    • PART A–OBSERVANCES AND CEREMONIES
      • CHAPTER 3–NATIONAL ANTHEM, MOTTO, FLORAL EMBLEM, AND MARCH
        • Section 301–National Anthem

Sec. 301. National anthem

(a) Designation.–The composition consisting of the words and music
known as the Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem.
(b) Conduct During Playing.–During a rendition of the national
anthem–
(1) when the flag is displayed–
(A) all present except those in uniform should stand at
attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart;
(B) men not in uniform should remove their headdress with
their right hand and hold the headdress at the left shoulder,
the hand being over the heart; and
(C) individuals in uniform should give the military salute
at the first note of the anthem and maintain that position until
the last note; and

(2) when the flag is not displayed, all present should face
toward the music and act in the same manner they would if the flag
were displayed.

There it is. The elusive National Anthem protocol. Now when you attend that next concert, ball game, or school event, you will know the proper conduct when they begin playing the Star Spangled Banner.

Rest of Chapter 3

Here is the rest of the information in this Chapter of the United States Code.

Sec. 302. National motto

“In God we trust” is the national motto.

Sec. 303. National floral emblem

The flower commonly known as the rose is the national floral emblem.

Sec. 304. National march

The composition by John Philip Sousa entitled “The Stars and Stripes Forever” is the national march.

The Texas Pledge is fairly simple.

Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one and indivisible

This article is about a public meeting in Herald, Texas starting with the pledges of allegiance to both the American flag and the Texas flag. Fortunately, someone handed out cards with the pledges. That was good thinking on someone’s part.

The Herald Democrat

As his first order of business during his first commissioner’s court hearing, Judge Drue Bynum insisted that everyone say the pledges of allegiance to both the U.S and Texas flags.

Of course, many people my age and older remember the tradition of saying the pledge of allegiance to the U.S. flag every day when we were in school. I am not sure if they still do that, but I hope they do.

I, however, don’t remember ever saying a pledge to the state flag. It always hung there next to the national flag, but I don’t remember commenting on it.

1. Shamrock, Texas (1st grade)
2. Briscoe, Texas (2nd grade)
3. Aurora, Colorado (3rd & 4th grade)
4. Spearman, Texas (4th, 5th, 6th grade)
5. Canyon, Texas (7th grade – 12th)

1st Grade

Attending first grade in Shamrock was a brand new experience for me. Kindergarten was not part of the ‘free’ public school system back then, so heading to first grade was my first great adventure away from home, and adventure it was.

Some memories have faded, but a few still linger. Assigned seating (alphabetical), roll call (with lunch count), and learning the Pledge of Allegiance. Saying the Pledge every morning allowed me to quickly memorize the words as I faced the US flag at the front of the room, put my right hand over my heart and said …

The Pledge of Allegiance

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic, for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thirty-one words that took time to learn as a first grader, now seem so easy to remember. As I got older, I learned the history behind the flag and the importance of the Pledge. About the soldiers and the sacrifices, and what liberty and justice meant.

I don’t know if they still start each day at school with the Pledge, but each week at Toastmasters, we do. And to this day it brings a lump to my throat as we recite the Pledge, facing the flag, with hand over heart.