I'll be true to the red, white, and blue because of
all it stands for. It stands for our country and all
people no matter what race, religion, or creed. It
stands for all the people who've worked and suffered
to make our country the way it is today. Also, it
stands for freedom that we have and others don't.

I think the stripes on the flag represents how
small our country was, but how great it was. I feel
that the stars stand for how much we've progressed
as a nation. Under the red, white, and blue we are all
one. United we stand as said in the Pledge of
Allegiance.

I've learned about what people went through to
get to America and to be free here. Everyday, people
serve our country in different ways to be able to make
it stay free.

I try to be patriotic. My dad always has the flag
in front of our house. He says you should always
respect the flag and what it stands for. I do. I always
stand and face it, with my hand over my heart,
whenever I hear the Star Spangled Banner or the
Pledge of Allegiance. I look with great pride on the
other symbols of America, too.

I have not gone through what other people have
to defend our flag and our country. I have heard
stories and can just imagine what it must be like
because I have just as much pride in the red, white,
and blue. I have noticed the great pride that comes
from being part of the armed forces because of my
uncle and stories from my grandfathers.

My uncle was one of the twenty- four men that
made what my family calls the "Ultimate Sacrifice".
He was a major in the Air Force and lost his life on
the AWACS plane that crashed in Alaska in
September of 1995. He and the rest of the crew were
very dedicated to serving their country. He was very
proud to serve under our flag. Then there are my
grandfathers. One grandfather was in the Navy
during the Korean War. The other was in the Marines
and went to Viet Nam twice. I see the effects that the
war had on them. I know that both my uncle and my
grandfathers, knowing all that they did, and if my
uncle were here, they would do it all over again.

The armed forces not only protects America and
keeps peace in our country but also in other countries
that might need our help. All branches of the armed
forces instill in us to take pride in our country the
way they do.

It's been taught to me that you should always be
true, proud, and loyal to the red, white, and blue. It
is a symbol of our country, the United States of
America, that we should take great pride. This is why
I'll always be true to the red, white, and blue.

Created on 8/19/97 by:

Technical Sergeant Mark Smithers, USAF
Elmendorf AFB, AK

You can e-mail me at gnat_55@yahoo.com

Elleni is Steve's niece. She wrote this about six months after the accident for school.