I Pledge Allegiance


One of the first things I learned in school was the Pledge of Allegiance. I went to first grade in Bullhead, Arizona, and my teacher was Mrs. Fogo. We would all meet outside on a flat dirt area in front of the school and sing the National Anthem and then all say the Pledge of Allegiance. We would have calisthenics, a fancy name for exercise, and then go into the classroom for the day’s school lessons. This was the procedure every day we went to school.
I remember many years later when crossing the BYU campus at eight in the morning or five in the evening they would play the National Anthem, and everyone was supposed to stop and face the nearest flag and not keep walking. This happened every day without fail.
Orem High School had the National Anthem and then the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of school every Monday. It is interesting how we all become accustomed to things happening in an organized way without a lot of change. One time a student stood silently, but did not place her hand across her chest and would not say the pledge of Allegiance. One of the coaches grabbed her and forced her hand across her chest and held her there until the pledge was over. To his great surprise, he was disciplined for even touching the girl. Her parents were outraged. They were Muslim and not allowed by their religion to take a loyalty oath to anything but Allah.
City of Alpine Administration building
 with flag at half-mast for Rachel  
Our daughter Rachel attended Orem High and BYU and was familiar with the events concerning the flag that I have mentioned. She was a swimmer on the Orem High swim team. After she returned a few years later from serving a mission in Adelaide, Australia, she got her master’s degree in public administration and was hired as the assistant city manager in the city of Alpine. She was killed in an accident on the freeway when she was twenty-nine years young. She was well liked by the city, and they named a park after her. They flew the flag at half-mast at the city center for a week. It was a kind and well-deserved tribute to Rachel.
One summer when school was not in session the National Anthem started going off several times during the night. This was an event that happened every night for some time. My family and I lived next door to the high school and our bedroom window was about one hundred feet from the loud speakers. I finally called the school and got the principal and made my complaint. I said that I didn’t mind listening to the National Anthem, but I sure hated getting up out of bed in the middle of the night to stand at attention.
I was a vocational coordinator at the time and had keys to the school. It became my job not only to stand up, but to go over to the school and turn off the bells whenever they went off. They did get the system fixed, and finally everyone got a good night’s sleep.
I have always enjoyed hearing the National Anthem, but the Star-Spangled Banner as sung by many of those who are asked to perform at national sporting events sometimes does not really sound like I remember it. At any rate, “Play Ball.”

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