Seems as though a few folks were offended Friday by the way the American Flag hung during the playing of the National Anthem before the high school football game.
Marion Fire Department crewmen attached a very large American Flag to a ladder truck and hoisted the Stars and Stripes high in the air. The department wanted to do it to honor America and for a special remembrance of those who lost their lives in Afghanistan last month.
Clearly, the fire department had only noble intentions and the agency should be commended for its willingness to bring its truck and flag to the game.
Plans were to hang the flag vertically off of the long fire truck ladder. In that case, the proper way to display an American Flag is with the stars on a blue field in the upper lefthand corner. And that's what occurred, until it was determined that the ladder needed to be raised a bit higher so everyone could see the full glory of Old Glory. That's when the flag draped downward a bit, giving it an appearance of being upside down, which is a sign of distress.
Firemen drew down the flag and repositioned it more appropriately on the ladder after realizing how it was hanging.
We can only hope that no one was terribly offended by what was a very well-intended gesture.
