I'll proudly stand up.

If you've ever wondered-as I have-why the American flag patch on a soldier's shoulder (try saying that ten times fast) is "backwards" I am about to enlighten you.

I spent a week at a camp called "Freedom Academy" and it was the best week of my life. We learned all about our freedoms and about how to use those freedoms we have to help others. Freedom isn't free: we live in the land of the free-because of the brave. Anyways this camp was basically a week full of non-stop American moments.

So, now for the enlightenment part. They put the flag patch "backwards" because when you carry a flag into combat-or wherever-that is how it looks. Because it's moving forward. They wear it that way because America is always moving forward. The Sargent that told me this said, "even if we retreat, we're not running away-we're just moving forward in a different direction." Pretty clever.

Now for a little trivia: where are the three places that the American flag is never lowered at half-mast or taken down?

1. Pearl Harbor memorial     2. Iwo Gima memorial   3. THE MOON!

I thought that was neat. Go America!