I attended the first flag rally at Hampshire College on Nov. 27.
The reporting and comments locally and across the internet have been very polarizing, and the main point of rally has been lost in the drama: the meaning of the flag to the many veterans and citizens who attended, and why this issue is so emotional.
For those who were not there, over a dozen speakers talked for well over an hour. The Nov. 28 Gazette article (“Hundreds protest flag’s removal”) summarized the talks as “war stories,” which is highly inaccurate. Here is a small sample of what was left out: The veteran who escaped the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge and came to America as a refugee with his family, who loves his country and proudly served to protect it; the veteran who spoke of his deployments under Obama and Bush to defend our freedoms (including the students’ right to protest without being throw in jail); the Gold and Blue Star mother who talked about the pain caused by seeing the flag disrespected, when her son gave his life in service of this country; the Mount Holyoke student who spoke of the frustration students who support the flag feel because they are unfairly branded as intolerant if they speak out.
There were many more, but the underlying message was that the flag is a symbol of sacrifice for the freedoms we have in this country, for our constant struggle to do better, and for all the individuals who have suffered and lost their lives fighting for us. This is why many feel pain when they see the flag disrespected.
The flag is not a symbol of Donald Trump, and many of us there that day do not support his rhetoric and proposed policies. I am thankful I have the freedom to say so.
Kathy Osborne
Northampton