Pledging Our Allegiance
On this Veteran’s Day, ponder a story told by Senator John McCain at the Republican Convention. He spent five–and–a–half years as a prisoner of the North Vietnamese. In his own words, here is what radical devotion led to, in one case:
In the final years of our imprisonment, the North Vietnamese moved us from small cells with one or two prisoners to large rooms with as many as 30–40 men to a room. We preferred this situation for the companionship and strength we could draw from our fellow prisoners. In addition to moving us to new quarters, our captors also let us receive packages and letters from home. Many men received word from their families for the first time in several years. The improved conditions were a result of public pressure put on the North Vietnamese by the American public.
In our cell was one Navy officer, Lt. Commander Mike Christian. Over a period of time Mike had gathered bits and pieces of red and white cloth from various packages. Using a piece of bamboo he had fashioned into a needle, Mike sewed a United States flag on the inside of his shirt, one of the blue pajama tops we all wore.
Every night in our cell, Mike would [hang] his shirt on the wall, and we would say the pledge of allegiance.
Get Curtis Alexander’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
This had been going on for some time until one of the guards came in as we were reciting our pledge. They ripped the flag off the wall and dragged Mike out. He was beaten for several hours and then thrown back into the cell.
Later that night, as we were settling down to sleep on the concrete slabs that were our beds, I looked over to the spot where the guards had thrown Mike. There, under the solitary light bulb hanging from the ceiling, I saw Mike. Still bloody and his face swollen beyond recognition. Mike was gathering bits and pieces of cloth together. He was sewing a new American flag.”
No doubt, Mike Christian loved America, and his devotion led to this almost insane action — starting to make another American flag that symbolized the land he loved. It was blood red, bruised blue, and white–hot allegiance to the USA.
If a man can love his country that much, can we love God our Creator that much? And if I do love God that much, what changes should that bring about in my life?
I’d appreciate it if you wanted to check out my personal website:
Feel free to tell your family and friends about it too.
