9/11

When the Boy Scouts come to my house again this year, to collect money to support putting a flag on my lawn every holiday, I will, once again, decline and do the job myself. Here's why.

Monday morning at 6:15, I was awakened by a dozen or so teenage boys walking up my street talking and joking. Screaming would be more accurate. When I went to see what the commotion was, I discovered that it was a flag raising for September 11th. This consisted of one kid pounding a stake in my neighbors yard while 8 or 9 other kids stood around and talked about sports and girls at the top of their lungs. Obviously, this is rude behavior for pre-dawn hours, but I wonder what it says about my local scouts and the flag.

Did any of these children spend a moment to think about the 3000 people who were killed 5 years ago? Did they show any gratitude at all for the men and women serving in Iraq today? Did they show any respect at all in this shameful display? I didn't see any. No scout uniforms, no salutes, no respect.

My son and I raised our flag an hour later and talked about 9/11 and about the members of our family who have and are serving in the military. I would suggest that my local scout troop reevaluate their mission and their message.