When I think of the flag, so many memories of the past come into my mind, moments that I won't forget all connected by the Red, White, and Blue. For me I think of when I was in Boy Scouts, Veterans day, Washington D.C, Canada, and New York. These memories while I didn’t think of the flag in the moment looking back I see it’s important to me. 

I can see Third grade me at a Scout meeting walking down with my Scout members in front of the troop to post the flag. Marching in two single file lines in silence and posting the flag saying the Pledge afterwards with hands on our hearts. At every meeting and every camp we had a flag present with us, forging it into my early memories. 

Elementary school is finishing and moving on from Boy Scouts to middle school where I can remember Veterans day bringing in my grandpa for breakfast and having him share out to my class about his time in the Navy. This is when I joined a band and started playing clarinet. On these Veteran day assemblies we would play patriotic pieces while the flag waved over the packed gym. 

Finishing my middle school years and moving into high school, we took a trip during the summer to Washington D.C. Seeing the massive monuments of our country's achievements and the people who brought change filled me with awe, and throughout that trip the flag was posted. 

The flag would also be present during my freshman year of high school on my 12-hour car drive to Canada. At the border where we left the country, I could see the Canadian flag that doesn’t have much meaning to me but for a Canadian citizen also has great meaning to them. 

Most recently, I had the great opportunity with my fellow band members to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City. While I may not have seen the flag everywhere, I could see so many symbols and tributes to our country. The Statue of Liberty stood gracefully and still at the harbor. For me, the flag is more than just a flag.