"As

you may know, I spent five and one half years as a

prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early

years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary

confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA

moved us from these conditions of isolation into large

rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room. This was,

as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct

result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf

of a few hundred POW's 10,000 miles from home."

"One

of the men that moved into my room was a young man named

Mike Christian. Mike came from a small town near Selma,

Ala.. He didn't wear a pair of shoes `til he was 13 years

old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a

commission by going to Officer Training School.

"Then

he became a naval flight officer and was shot down and

captured in 1967.

"Mike

had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities

this country and our military provide for people who want

to work and want to succeed."

"As

part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed

some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of

these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other

items of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo needle.

"Over

a period of a couple of months, he created an American

flag and sewed it on the inside of his shirt. Every

afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang

Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge

of Allegiance. I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not

seem the most important part of our day now, but I can

assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most

important and meaningful event.

"One

day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did

periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag

sewn inside, and removed it. That evening they returned,

opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all

of us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple

of hours. Then they opened the door of the cell and threw

him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could.

"The

cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle

on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each

corner of the room. As I said, we tried to clean up Mike

as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I

looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there

beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth,

another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike

Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut

from the beating he had received, making another American

flag.

"He

was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian

feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how

important it was to us to be able to pledge our

allegiance to our flag and country.

"So

the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must

never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of

Americans have made to build our nation and promote

freedom around the world. You must remember our duty, our

honor, and our country."

I pledge

allegiance to the flag of the United States of America

and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under

God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

May every

American realize two things: One, that their salvation

comes only from Jesus of Nazareth and the sacrifice that

he paid once and for all on the cross for our sins.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay

down his life for his friends." Secondly, that the

freedoms we all share and enjoy on a daily basis came

from the sacrifices of the men and women and their

families who served our country in war and peace.

Our church

is moving to the American Legion Log Cabin the first

Sunday in August (Aug. 1). Service times are: Sunday

School 10 a.m. ; worship 11 a.m. Come be with us.

<!--

-----------