American Flag and Me
Cassidy Hutchinson
English III Honors 1
College Essay #1
“I’ll see you in a year, Cass. I love you.” Those were the last words my Uncle, Major Joe Boler, said to me before boarding the military transport aircraft headed for Bagram, Afghanistan. Inside, I shattered in a million pieces. I told myself he was deployed overseas to fight “the bad guys”, yet I couldn’t understand why the closest person I had to a father was the one taken away. Two weeks later I received a package and letter from Uncle Joe. In the letter, he babbled on about the people of Afghanistan and the lifestyle change- a small-town country boy to a soldier of the Middle-Eastern desert. Next, I carefully opened the package. Inside was a folded American flag, with a note taped on the back. “Before leaving the hanger, each soldier was given a flag for our troop to salute for a family member. I chose to send mine to you. Put this flag somewhere in your room, you’ll think of me every morning when you wake up. This year will go by fast, I promise.” I tacked the flag to my bedroom ceiling above my bed. Every morning I woke up to the beautiful, carefully stitched, red, white and blue American flag. And every morning, I instantly thought of my Uncle, half a world away. Ten years later, the same flag remains on the ceiling above my bed. Over the course of that year, I had a lot of time to think, and I matured at a faster rate than most kids my age. I believe the flag accurately represents who I am today. The American flag represents commitment. Since 1775, soldiers shed blood on our land and overseas to ensure the freedom of our people. Like the commitment represented in the American flag, I sacrifice my own desires every day if it means helping someone else achieve theirs. Freedom thrives off sacrifice and commitment of the people making up a nation. My commitment in anything I immerse myself in is prominent, regardless of how daunting the task may be. The American flag also represents the
English III Honors 1
College Essay #1
“I’ll see you in a year, Cass. I love you.” Those were the last words my Uncle, Major Joe Boler, said to me before boarding the military transport aircraft headed for Bagram, Afghanistan. Inside, I shattered in a million pieces. I told myself he was deployed overseas to fight “the bad guys”, yet I couldn’t understand why the closest person I had to a father was the one taken away. Two weeks later I received a package and letter from Uncle Joe. In the letter, he babbled on about the people of Afghanistan and the lifestyle change- a small-town country boy to a soldier of the Middle-Eastern desert. Next, I carefully opened the package. Inside was a folded American flag, with a note taped on the back. “Before leaving the hanger, each soldier was given a flag for our troop to salute for a family member. I chose to send mine to you. Put this flag somewhere in your room, you’ll think of me every morning when you wake up. This year will go by fast, I promise.” I tacked the flag to my bedroom ceiling above my bed. Every morning I woke up to the beautiful, carefully stitched, red, white and blue American flag. And every morning, I instantly thought of my Uncle, half a world away. Ten years later, the same flag remains on the ceiling above my bed. Over the course of that year, I had a lot of time to think, and I matured at a faster rate than most kids my age. I believe the flag accurately represents who I am today. The American flag represents commitment. Since 1775, soldiers shed blood on our land and overseas to ensure the freedom of our people. Like the commitment represented in the American flag, I sacrifice my own desires every day if it means helping someone else achieve theirs. Freedom thrives off sacrifice and commitment of the people making up a nation. My commitment in anything I immerse myself in is prominent, regardless of how daunting the task may be. The American flag also represents the