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Local veterans teach kids about American flag

Times Record - 1/7/2022

Jan. 7—The man wore a bright blue suit jacket with the state of Arkansas pinned to his lapel. He walked in between the rows of students, asking questions about the American flag.

Keith Greene is a member of the General Darby chapter of the Military Officers Association of American. He and four other members travel across the River Valley, teaching students about the etiquette surrounding caring for the United States flag.

"What does the flag of the United States of America mean to you?" Greene asked the middle and high school students Thursday afternoon at Union Christian Academy.

He continued asking the students questions such as how many stripes are on the flag and what the stars represent on the flag.

Greene followed his brief discussion with a video that taught about the Pledge of Allegiance, practices for handling flags, the evolution of the flag, 9/11 and flag procedures for veteran burials.

Josh Post, 17, sat through Greene's presentation and said he felt like he learned more about the significance of the American flag.

"I learned that the flag has more meaning than its face value. It has more symbolism to the people who have not only sacrificed their lives but the people that work every day to keep us safe and make sure that we have our freedoms and don't take them for granted," Post said.

For him, the flag is a symbol of freedom.

"I think it's important for people to understand what the flag means because I believe that some people don't understand where we get our freedom and that we're just born with it but every day when we see that flag that is a flag that has been fought for, a flag that reminds us that we have the freedom to believe in religion, to speak freely about the government, to have a job, to have money. It gives us the freedom to live the life that we desire," Post said.

Greene said that Union Christian marked the sixth school his group has been to in the last few months.

Alex Gladden is a University of Arkansas graduate. She previously reported for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and The Jonesboro Sun before joining the Times Record. She can be contacted at agladden@swtimes.com.

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