Our son, Bennett won 1st Prize for the following essay and I thought today was an appropriate day to share it with you. The following essay was written by Bennett and I have copied it just as he wrote it. He won $30 from the American Legion for this essay.
THE FLAG
By Bennett – 5th Grade
You get to the game at the high school and you buy your popcorn at the concession stand. Then take your seat by your buddies. The home team comes out to do their warm-ups. Next, after awhile, they announce the starting lineup. Then finally everyone puts their hand over their heart and the men take off their caps. Everyone stares at the flag while the National Anthem is being sung. At that moment is when I feel proud about my country.
To me, the American flag means freedom. Brave heroes fought in wars and other things to keep our country safe and strong. That we kept our independence after certain events affected our country. These are some examples: 9/11, also the Pearl Harbor attack and even the Civil War (other wars also). But all of these times we never gave up. That makes me very proud to be an American citizen.
There are many symbols that I see each day that remind me about how proud I feel about my country.
In my perspective, I think that red stripes on the flag stand for the blood and the fighting in all the wars that we have had, and that the white stands for heaven and liberty. The stars stand for the fifty states and to me the blue means freedom.
I’m very proud of my country, my freedom, and especially my flag. That is what the American flag means to me.