I don’t know when it happened or when it started, but I have the Boston Bruins and a Lewiston native to partially thank for my appreciation and respect for patriotism and the American flag.

 Boston Bruins telecasts on the old Channel 38 out of Boston always included the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States of America. Fortunately, NESN continues that tradition today, more often than not, and just like in late 7os, it is sung by Lewiston native Rene Rancourt.

 Thanks to Rene, I learned the words to the Star-Spangled Banner at games or at home; my family taught me respect for the flag. Take off your ball cap and stand. In the late 70s, in large part due to Iran hostage crisis, patriotism was strong. Ronald Reagan was to show us the way to a better America and the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team won gold in Lake Placid. When I was 8, 9 and 10 years old, there was a lot of flag waving.

 Don’t get me wrong, it took me years to define what patriotism meant to me and learn why the United States flag is an important symbol.

For better or worse, events such as 9/11, the Iran hostage crisis, Pearl Harbor and attacks on U.S. military installations abroad make us look within ourselves and assess our nation’s place in the world. Unified, as a nation we rally. Some choose to take up arms and join the military, others run for office, some become journalists and lawyers; some try to teach other people values which they deem important.

Be it 1775 and fighting a Revolutionary War, 1865 and the Civil War, 1975 and the Cold War or 2005 and the War on Terror, patriotism has caused us to act. There are parallels between all those times and what is happening in our counrty today. Men and women are doing what they can to act in support of our country. In many cases the actions of the people are in direct response to a perceived transgression by our government.

 Today’s Tea Party movement is rallying around what they believe to be our government’s infringement on their rights. The desired outcome, a change in policy, is shared by those who rallied against the Vietnam War and marched in favor of Civil Rights, protested against McCarthyism or tossed tea into a harbor.

In my world, to be patriotic is to be respectful of those who have spoken or performed a deed in the effort to protect our liberties or the symbols of our freedom. The person speaking out against a war is as patriotic as the person fighting the war. The men and women working to remind us of our 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms is as patriotic as the person exercising their 1st Amendment right to speak out against gun violence.

Patriotism is about supporting the values that you believe our country was founded on; it is a personal decision, the key being what you believe to be to be the important values. It is not about what your neighbor says is important, or President Obama, a military general or a 60s folk singer. Patriotism is something that, over time, I hope each of us will discover for ourselves. Be open minded enough to allow it to sneak up on you.  You never know where the idea will come from or what act will help you discover the meaning. It is out there; perhaps you just need to catch a ball game.