For nine years, I was a member of the Girl Scouts of America, and while being involved in the organization I learned a lot of things. I can start a fire using two sticks, build a survival shelter and tell time by the sun. But aside from being a good person to be lost in the woods with, I also learned some lessons which have proved to be as intangible as they are valuable. One of these is my respect for our country, and the flag that represents it.

On the week of Jan. 18, North Carolina lost two indomitable spirits. One was former Governor Bob Scott, who was a conscientious public servant and a former president of the stateís community college system. The second, which hit much closer to home, was the death of our own Kay Yow on that Saturday. Due to the death of Bob Scott, the current governor, Beverly Perdue gave the directive for all North Carolina state flags to be flown at half-staff.

Walking past the Belltower at the beginning of the following week, I noticed that all of the flags that fly there were at half-staff. While I found it a bit odd that the American flag had been lowered, it was not until later that I read the press release which confirmed my suspension that the flag was improperly lowered.

Now I’m sure that some of you are thinking, “Who cares? It’s just a flag.” But the truth lies in the fact that we have a flag code, and it doesn’t sit well with me to have it arbitrarily ignored.

Jill Lucas, director of Public Information for the Department of Administration, said, “The Governor does have the authority to lower the U.S. flag, but in the case of the call to honor Gov. Scott she did not.” She went on to say that people sometimes misinterpret lowering the state flags on state facilities to mean all flags, and that disrespect is generally not intended.   

That being said, before someone writes me an angry letter, I am not accusing the University or the ROTC program, which oversees the flag raising and lowering, of intentionally disrespecting our flag. But I am accusing the party responsible of a severe oversight, and I feel that protocol should have been followed. Otherwise, why does the protocol even exist?

It is true that the flag is just a piece of cloth. It is a piece of cloth embroidered with 50 stars, and emblazoned with 13 red and white stripes. But this flag deserves the constant respect that we afford the country that it represents. It deserves to be taken down during inclement weather, to be properly disposed of when it becomes tattered, and to be put up at sunrise and brought down at sunset. It has draped the coffins of our countrymen, and has been raised at sites which represent the true resilience of America. The first lines of the Pledge that we learned as children was not meant to be an empty one, and it is my sincere wish that one day the object of that pledge will be given the respect that it deserves.

Send Catie your thoughts on respecting the flag to [email protected].