On behalf of the President ...

My father, a World War II veteran, died on January 6, 2017, at the age of 101. He was buried with military honors at the small Nichols Farm Burial Grounds behind the firehouse in Trumbull, CT. The service was dignified, moving and for me, unforgettable. After a volley of shots, the bugler played taps, and the American flag, which had draped my father's coffin, was carefully folded in the traditional tri-cornered shape, which I have since learned is emblematic of the tri-cornered hat worn by the patriots of the American Revolution. 

The flag, showing only the blue field with stars, was then presented to me by a member of the Army honor guard with these words:

"On behalf of the President of the United States, and a grateful Nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one's honorable and faithful service."

This emblem of our freedom, and all those who fought and gave up their lives for that freedom, now rests on a shelf in my home where I see it daily. 

I am grateful for many things, but this Independence Day, as I look lovingly and with pride at that flag, I am particularly grateful that when the banner that represents our great country was presented to me, the individual who held the revered office of President was a decent, respectable man, just like my dad.