“My buddies and I were standing around when out of nowhere a rocket shot into our camp. I felt a piercing pain in my arm--a large piece of shrapnel was stuck in my elbow. I looked up and saw one of my good friends lying on the ground, motionless. He was the closest to the explosion and died instantly.” My dad told me this story as he explained what it was like in the Vietnam war.

Sacrifice, selflessness and service are just three of the many words I use to describe the American flag. When I asked my dad what the flag meant to him, he responded with “it represents freedom and democracy.”

He went on to say, “That flag is present in the barracks, at every post, and in every military camp. The flag is always there.” It is a symbol of hope and perseverance for each soldier.

My dad was in the Vietnam War from 1971 to 1972 when he was 18-years-old. He, along with other soldiers, fought for and defended the United States of America and her flag at all costs. The flag represents selflessness.

As my dad told me about his experience, he kept saying “People just don't understand what we had to give up, and they take so many things for granted.” The flag represents sacrifice.

He also said one of the hardest things about being in the army are the minimal personal belongings. Everyday is a sacrifice in a foreign land, so disassociated with home. The flag represents service to America.

The flag bonds soldiers together, especially after one of their brothers in arms has died. Members of the army look to the flag as a source of comfort and strength. It is one of the few things soldiers have to unify themselves and remind them of home.

My dad was selfless when he sacrificed everything familiar to him to serve in the military. Each soldier in the United States Army defends this flag. They do this because of what the United States flag represents--sacrifice selflessness, and service.