Here it was, another Independence Day, and except for a day’s respite from work, the obligatory picnics and fireworks, and the slightly crass “Fourth of July” sale offered by every Valley car dealership and mattress store, once again we let an opportunity slip by to truly remember our history and heritage. On July 4, I drove Ventura Boulevard from Sepulveda Boulevard to Balboa Boulevard to count the number of American flags displayed in front of businesses. The final tally: two. One forlorn flag hanging from a flagpole in front of the Bank of America branch at Petit Avenue appeared as if it had not been cleaned since A.P. Giannini established the Bank of Italy (BofA’s original name) back in 1904, although the bank’s media relations department gave assurances that “we keep replacement flags onsite in order to replace worn flags at early signs of natural wear and tear.” The second was flying high atop Mercedes-Benz of Encino. As with most other holidays, businesses seem adept at seizing and squeezing the commercial opportunities out, including this one, with the least-necessary nod to the concept of what they stand for. Not that the Valley’s – and the rest of the nation’s business community – should commemorate Independence Day exclusively with somber reflection and academic treatises. Because for all their criticisms of the United States, millions of people from nations around the globe rightly view ours as a society where those in power govern at our pleasure – not theirs. Although the Declaration of Independence is celebrated on July 4, it was really agreed to on July 2, with the printed copies not made available until two days later. Imagine the prescience of John Adams, in writing to his wife on July 3, 1776, laying the foundation for today’s approach to the American expression of self-government, the Declaration of Independence: “The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.” The two most potent symbols of that revolutionary moment are our Pledge of Allegiance and our national anthem. Both have often become rote recitations. Our collective memory in this country lasts but a nanosecond, unless it is something important, such as who won last night’s “American Idol,” how far gold prices fell yesterday or how hot summer is in the Valley. Why is it that among Americans, displays of patriotism come more easily from those in uniform? Army Reserve Chaplain Jim Higgins wrote this letter home in May 2007 from Camp Anaconda, a large U.S. base near Balad, Iraq: “We have a large auditorium we use for movies. …We stood and snapped to attention when the national anthem began before the main feature. All was going as planned until about three-quarters of the way through the national anthem the music stopped. “Now, what would happen if this occurred with 1,000 18- to 22-year-olds back in the States? I imagine there would be hoots, catcalls, laughter, a few rude comments. … Here, the 1,000 soldiers continued to stand at attention, eyes fixed forward. The music started again. The soldiers continued to quietly stand at attention. “And again, at the same point, the music stopped. … Every soldier continued to stand at attention. Suddenly there was a lone voice, then a dozen, and quickly the room was filled with the voices of a thousand soldiers, finishing where the recording left off: ‘And the rockets red glare, The bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night That our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O’er the land of the free, And the home of the brave.’ “It was the most inspiring moment I have had here in Iraq. I wanted you to know what kind of soldiers are serving you here. Remember them as they fight for you! For many have already paid the ultimate price.” Our flag is our national symbol. We exult when it is wrapped around the shoulders of a young American athlete on the victory stand at the Olympic Games, and become somber when it is draped across the casket of young men brought back from wars overseas. Displaying the Stars and Stripes on Independence Day and Veterans’ Day – more than any other holidays – simply says, “I remember.” Perhaps next year more in the Valley business community will display our flag because they remember … and celebrate. Martin Cooper is president of Cooper Communications Inc. and chairman of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association’s Board of Governors.
