Fifth grade flag essay winners

What the Flag Means to Me
by Scout Kohagen
The flag, to me, represents freedom, sacrifice, and family. These are not just words to me. They have more meaning than you will ever know.
Freedom is something that the flag stands for and what our veterans fought for. To me this means we are lucky that we are free. Our family fought for this flag. We need to respect the flag for the veterans and our freedom they fought for.
Sacrifices are what won the war and the poor people who lost their lives. I think about those people’s families and friends and how they felt. The people who survived are very lucky. I hope people realize what the veterans sacrificed for us. Many died for us.
Many families have been part of protecting our country. My great-grandpa said, “It was the worst thing to watch my friends be wounded and killed.” The bad part was many did not live. The good part was we won the war and our freedom. I think about when the war was over. I imagined a person going to see a family member, and then finding out the person that they loved was shot, killed, or severely injured. I feel bad when I think about what the veterans saw. Many families have been impacted by the sacrifices made for us.
It makes me feel terrible that people are disrespecting the flag by kneeling or sitting during the National Anthem. I don’t understand why they are disprespecting the flag. I hope people realize it’s not okay to disrespect the flag and our veterans.
This is how I feel about the flag. It is so much more more than a cloth to me. I love, respect, and honor the flag. I was taught, in my house, to always honor the flag and veterans who fought for us. This is what the flag means to me.