So gallantly streaming

Harry Scherer
Class of 2022

(11/2021) At the beginning of the fourth stanza of Francis Scott Key’s "Star Spangled Banner," the poet references war for the second time in the work. He says, "O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand / Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation!"

This powerful line comes at the climax of the ballad. Key mentions the unmentionable, the dreaded topic of violent conflict into which men so often fall. The word is broached, though, in a secure position, within the context of a valiant person looking into the distance and seeing the glorious standard waving among the rubble.

Like all effective works of poetry, the work serves as an extended metaphor. In this case, the flag is a symbol of the endurance of pious patriotism amid the challenges of civic life. Key points to a thing outside of and above himself, his fellow citizens, and even the combined group of people that together make up the social identity of his nation. For Key, the flag represents an enduring hope. Without this hope, the value of the flag would bear no value greater than its fabric.

The flag does not represent a promise or a contract, an absolute assurance of success. If we were sure of our victory or the success of our identity, the flag would not be necessary. It is because of the uncertainty that we fly the flag in the face of danger. In these times of danger, the flag serves as a reminder that the identity of our nation is not merely the sum of its parts and, at the same time, that the perpetuation of our existence rests on its member’s participation with grace. If Key is clear about one thing in his poem, it is the unreliability of human power in our own victory. The flag bears a quasi-divine presence, a reminder of the necessity of providential aid in fulfilling our own promise. Sun Tzu, for example, corroborates the necessity of trust in The Art of War. His principled reliance on trust is an acknowledgement of reality; the possibility of death in battle strikes at the core of the uncertainty of its success. In this way, uncertainty in battle seems to be a symptom of the uncertainty of death.

The pregnant symbolism of the flag, though, is only possible through its own matter: seven horizontal red lines, six horizontal white lines, interrupted in the northwest corner by a blue rectangle filled with fifty white stars. According to State Symbols USA, a site dedicated to cataloging the symbolic heritage of the States, the red in the flag symbolizes valor and bravery, the white symbolizes purity and innocence, and the blue symbolizes vigilance, perseverance, and justice. These values are positive descriptions of any virtuous person and, by extension, any virtuous nation. In addition to the descriptive element, though, the flag suggests certain responsibilities that accompany the rights afforded to its citizens. Without these responsibilities, the rights would be insecure and fickle, varying from time to time and place to place.

Different citizens respond to these responsibilities in different ways, in line with their position and status. Those who respond to their nation in the most serious way, in the way that requires the most skin in the game, join the military and sacrifice themselves, their future, and their families for the sake of a greater project. This sacrifice puts some in the situation to offer the ultimate sacrifice, a rejection of self that demands honor and gratitude from the entire nation. Some are not called to this same level of service, but instead dedicate themselves to their nation through their civic institutions, families, and work.

For both those who are preparing to give of themselves through military service and those ready to sacrifice themselves through more a more accessible method, the three colors of the banner can serve as a tool to remember the what, why, and how of their sacrifice. The red of the flag, the same color as the blood of their forefathers in battle, the "what" of their sacrifice, reminds them that their national offering is valorous and brave. In this sense, they give of themselves in an unrelenting manner, regardless of the consequences of life and limb.

The white, alternating with the courageous and bright red, reminds them of the "why." Those who gave of themselves in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, both World Wars, and all the other military engagements of the past few centuries were fighting in pursuit of the preservation of the purity and innocence of their nation. Our national project is admittedly a young one. The so-called "American experiment" is just that: a test of ideas against the persistent model of reality. Sacrifice in battle is a kind of defense of the innocent uncertainty of the success of the American enterprise. On the level of the person, military courage is a defense of the most cherished members of our nation: our women and children.

Finally, the blue reminds us of the "how" of national service. Our source suggests that the blue in the flag is to symbolize vigilance, perseverance, and justice. If military service does not conduct itself in this manner, where is the merit? In this way, the blue is the most demanding color of the flag because it requires not just that service take place, but it requires its method. In other words, the blue hid in the corner of the flag reminds the service member that he must not just give but give well. In this way, the value of military service is elevated; the military must do the right things for the right reasons.

When we remember Armistice Day on the 11th of this month, we commemorate a group of men who were relentless in their courageous pursuit of national innocence. This group gazed at the flag with admiration and devotion, seeking its presence and aware of its symbolism. The flag, as Key knew very well, was a reference to the glory of the American nation and the pain of war’s separation from it.

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