I never saluted the black flag, until now
By Andy Wolf| September 16th, 2016|Popular|0 Comments
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Members of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) and U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) participate in the graveside service for U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Alan Lee Boyer in Section 28 of Arlington National Cemetery, June 22, 2016, in Arlington, Va. Boyer, a Green Beret, was listed missing in action during the Vietnam War and his remains were recently identified. (U.S. Army photo by Rachel Larue/Arlington National Cemetery/released)
The VA could owe you thousands!
When I was growing up, I didn’t think much of the POW/MIA flag.
Much like the peeling “SUPPORT OUR TROOPS” bumper sticker adorned on the suburban SUV driven by someone who can’t find Fallujah on a map or the mud-stained plastic American flag in a downtown gutter on July 5th, I always considered the flag to be just another cliche piece of symbolism found in motorcycle garages and dive bars. Essentially, it was just another misappropriated icon of American sacrifice and tragedy, pushed forward to somehow absolve a nation of sending their sons to fight, die, suffer and -sometimes- disappear.
I had read all the stories. Hell, I grew up surrounded not only by written military history, but living history. Being raised around Fort Campbell, Kentucky, you tend to be surrounded by veterans of current and past conflicts. Less than a stone’s throw from an American Legion post, I would regularly go listen to old veterans tell stories of the struggles they encountered in their respective conflicts. From World War II to Desert Storm (remember, I was a child of the 90’s), I heard tales of great loss, courage, sacrifice and yes, capture.
One such man was known to me only as “Mr.Tim.”
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