"It’s important to remember that our military is composed entirely of volunteers. It obviously takes a special kind of patriotism for people to volunteer to risk their life for their country. Theirs is not blind patriotism that pretends there is nothing wrong with the country. Every man and woman in uniform knows we still have work to do to achieve the equality, opportunity and justice for all to which we aspire. But every member of the military also knows that what is right about America is worth defending. And if it’s worth defending, it’s worth honoring."
What amazes me is how my friends of other nationalities understand this keenly due to their experiences with actual tyranny, while many US citizens forget this so easily.
The flag and what it represents are aspirational. We are not a perfect people, but without something greater than ourselves to which we should strive, we are lost.
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