Washington, DC —
Senator John Thune today joined fellow Senators, Maj. Gen. Patrick H. Brady, U.S. Army (Ret.) of South Dakota, and Chicago Cubs great, Rick Monday, who is known for saving the American flag from being burned during a 1976 baseball game, at an event to highlight the Flag Protection Amendment. Senator Thune delivered the following remarks in favor of the amendment and in celebration of Flag Day:
"The American flag has been woven with some of the most memorable scenes from our nation's history.
We saw it hoisted at Mt. Suribachi during the battle for Iwo Jima and draped over the side of a stricken Pentagon on September 11th.
It's the red, white and blue that inspires the Olympic gold medalist, brings comfort to the wife of a fallen soldier, and lights up the eyes of young schoolchildren during the morning pledge.
Nothing is more central to our history, pride and tradition than the American flag.
Above all, it symbolizes the freedoms we hold so dear. But it should never fall victim when those freedoms are exploited.
I stand with our veterans and veterans service organizations like the American Legion in strong support of a Constitutional Amendment to ban flag burning and protect one of America's most enduring symbols of sacrifice, national unity, and freedom.
Since the birth of our nation, American soldiers have fought for the ideals our flag represents and looked to it for direction and promise on bloody battlefields.
I hope today we can preserve that same compass for our soldiers serving on the front lines of the War on Terror."
"The American flag has been woven with some of the most memorable scenes from our nation's history.
We saw it hoisted at Mt. Suribachi during the battle for Iwo Jima and draped over the side of a stricken Pentagon on September 11th.
It's the red, white and blue that inspires the Olympic gold medalist, brings comfort to the wife of a fallen soldier, and lights up the eyes of young schoolchildren during the morning pledge.
Nothing is more central to our history, pride and tradition than the American flag.
Above all, it symbolizes the freedoms we hold so dear. But it should never fall victim when those freedoms are exploited.
I stand with our veterans and veterans service organizations like the American Legion in strong support of a Constitutional Amendment to ban flag burning and protect one of America's most enduring symbols of sacrifice, national unity, and freedom.
Since the birth of our nation, American soldiers have fought for the ideals our flag represents and looked to it for direction and promise on bloody battlefields.
I hope today we can preserve that same compass for our soldiers serving on the front lines of the War on Terror."