Ruby Tuesday...Decoration Day

We went with our eldest daughter and her son to the Westlake, Texas, Historical Preservation Society's 7th Annual Decoration Day at the Historic I.O.O.F. (Independent Order of Odd Fellows) Cemetery. There were music, speeches, Boy Scout flag ceremony, the Liberty Bell, and ice cream, hot dogs, and cold water. The Northwest Regional Formation Flyers did three fly-overs. As you see this clip, you will notice all the red...red, white, and blue for America. By the way, my grandfather, Marvin Tilden Bowden, was an Odd Fellow!

This poem was on the back of the program:

It is the Soldier, not the minister,
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the Solder, not the report,
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Soldier, not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the Soldier
Who salutes the flag,
Who served under the flag,
Whose coffin is draped in the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.