Such an unhappy expression, for someone holding the U.S. flag! It should always be a proud moment.

I wondered why that picture bothered me until I looked at the Youtube video of "Tomorrow belongs to me" from Cabaret. The transition from a bright hopeful song of liberty into a shouting contest parallels the cheapening of patriotism that we have seen lately. It's shameful.

I couldn't agree with you more and I must confess that I am a guilty participant in the hateful exchange. And yet having lived and witnessed its origin within the Republican Party and its plan as coached by Newt Gingrich to associate all that is evil and treacherous with the Democratic Party; with the Karl Rove machine fine tuning this propaganda and culminating this awful entity and naming it "Liberal" whose negative attributes have been exposed primarily within the GOP itself [especially with clandestine, illegal homosexual trysts], to be hung about the necks of Democrats publicly, incessently; and especially by all of the so called 'liberal' media networks to a point where every commentator would say "Liberal" when they should have said "Democrat" while at the same time, on Hate Radio and Faux Snooze, the likes of Rush the Flaccid Junkie and mAnn Coulter, Sean Only High School Hannity and Bill O'Reilly constantly reinforced the picture with much imaginary embellishment of this limp wristed, wine sipping elitist "liberal" that hated America, loves the rotting socialist cultures of Europe and the world, coward never to serve in the military, flip-flop wishy washy, homo-hugging snob and it goes on and on.

Absolutely nothing in its correct definition of a 'Liberal'.

Having political views in favor of social reform and progress. Tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism,

Having helped fold several hundred US flags, and present to the surviving family of the one it covered I can tell you that there are times that that expression is correct. And in the last several years I have seen that same expression over and over again.

I have personally received one of those flags and I thank you. It's a good thing that you are doing and one that a deceased veteran's family deserves.

The woman in the picture doesn't seem to fit that description, however. The picture makes it look like she is standing on a speakers' platform at a convention.

It is to the point that I can't look at a flag without thinking of all those who have fallen under it. By the grace of God I lived through my service with only wounds, both physical and mental....but will go on. We don't know what is in the mind of the woman in the picture, I could be remembering one that served that flag....it is hard to tell from a picture.

You could be remembering a young widow or even a service member with similar features - it's hard to say. Is it time to step back from honor guard duty for a while and give yourself a break? I don't mean that to be unkind but I believe you have done your share.