Author Topic: Celebrating Flag Day – here's the special meaning it holds for this combat veteran  (Read 216 times)

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Fox News by Joni Ernst 6/14/2021

Sen. Joni Ernst: Celebrating Flag Day – here's the special meaning it holds for this combat veteran

As we celebrate Flag Day, let’s never lose sight of what our American Flag represents

In the town square of my hometown of Red Oak, Iowa, you see her gleaming in the sunlight. And you see her wave in metro centers and main streets spanning coast to coast, on military bases around the globe and on the front porches of homes where loved ones are serving overseas.

Our nation’s flag – the American Flag – is a symbol of our strength, of our freedom, and of our shared values and common bond as fellow Americans.

And for me, as a combat veteran, it holds a very special meaning.

In the summer of 1989, when I was a sophomore at Iowa State University, I was blessed with the unique opportunity of traveling overseas as a part of our school’s agricultural exchange program. The trip was an experience unlike any other, especially for the daughter of a small town, rural Iowa farmer like me.

We visited the Soviet Union – a part that is in modern-day Ukraine. But we might as well have traveled to another planet. My experience was unforgettable and had a profound impact on my life.

At night, rather than talking about farming or academics, as I had expected, the Ukrainians asked us what it was like to be free. They wanted to know what it was like to be an American.

Right then and there I realized not only how grateful I was for the many freedoms I took for granted, but that I wanted to do my part to defend them. I needed to serve my nation. So, when I returned home, I joined my school’s Army ROTC program.

I didn’t know it then, but that decision would change my life, leading to a military career spanning 23 years in the Army Reserves and the Iowa Army National Guard, including my service as a company commander in Kuwait and Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

More: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/flag-day-special-meaning-combat-veterans-sen-joni-ernst