Nail the Colors to the Mast

I recently saw a flag whose owners had decided to affix it permanently to their house.

As I thought about this, my mind wandered back to the response I had heard made by a veteran and flag expert many months ago when a reporter asked him what he thought when he sees a flag displayed improperly. "I think there's another patriotic American," he said.

Then, the idea of nailing a flag to a house made me think of an extreme measure that was sometimes taken during battles in the age of wooden sailing ships. As is true now, it was the custom to sail without the national flag, or colors, displayed from a mast. This was done to protect the flags for the two occasions during which they were always used — celebrations and battles.

As battle approached, a ship would always raise its own national colors because failure to do so made the crew and officers subject to prosecution as pirates. Raising the colors was also extremely important because it was the lowering of colors — or striking the colors — by which a ship signaled its surrender.

On rare occasions before a particularly difficult battle, a brave captain would order the colors to be nailed to the mast. By so doing, he would unite the entire crew to battle, for once the colors had been nailed to the mast, it would be difficult indeed to lower the flag and surrender. Thus, the idea of surrender was removed from the minds of an entire ship of sailors, officers and their captain. They would not ask for quarter.

Consider that the act of nailing the colors to the mast was a subtle, yet supremely powerful act. This was not an act of coercion, such as the practice of ordering troops at gunpoint, nor was it an act of leadership by inspiration in the way that many fine officers lead their men over the trenches. Rather, nailing the colors to the mast was a leveling and uniting action. A few cheap nails, and every "man jack" aboard — from the lowest cabin boy to the captain — straightened their backs to a purpose.

I believe that nailing the colors to the mast is a good metaphor for our response to the peril in which we find our nation. Neither a slackening for a moment, nor a questioning of purpose is acceptable. Defeat is not an option.

America has successfully defended freedom throughout its history, and now the torch has been passed to our generation. I know that the time will come when the United States looks back on us and remembers how our sons, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers and daughters made the ultimate sacrifice to make a better world for their heirs. We will make them proud.

This Flag Day, nail the colors to the mast.

This Newshound is proud to that Defense Watch has published my article above.

DefenseWatch