The pledge of allegiance

My wife and I were very touched by a forwarded e-mail I received from my brother one that has apparently been circulating around since the Supreme Court here in America decided that the reference to "one Nation under God" in the pledge did not prevent our leaders and Civil Servants from leading a recital of the pledge in official public gatherings. Opponents maintained that it violated the separation of church and state, but the Supreme Court ruled that it did not.
The e-mail quoted John McCain's remarks of how a fellow inmate in their prisoner of war camp made a makeshift version of the American flag. It was found to be so important to morale to be able to recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag, that when the guards discovered the flag, removed it, and severely beat the POW for having made the flag, that almost as soon as the POW was returned to the cell, he began making another makeshift flag so that he and fellow POW's could continue to recite the pledge to the flag.
We appreciate the men and women in the military and especially those who remain faithful to our country even under the dire situation as POW's. They are all heroes to us and when we see the American flag, it reminds us of them. The remarks by John McCain impressed us. My wife tells me that she gets very upset when ever she sees the American flag being disrespected in any way. She has pulled flags from trash piles whenever she sees them there, in order to give them a more proper disposal.
It is an honor as American citizens to be able to recite the pledge of allegiance anywhere here in the USA regardless of the type of gathering.