Once upon a darkened night with thunder all around, not from clouds of rain and storm, but explosions that shook the ground.
Once upon such nights and days, the masses made their stand, to purge the ranks of tyranny and oppression from this land.

The advances that they made back then have earned us what we call rights,
and keeping these alive and well has required yet other fights.

Ages hence in battles waged to keep our nation safe,
to enunciate our freedom, and to sanctify this place,

again the many devoted men have joined together in arms,
standing between what we call home, and the forces that wish us harm.

With a sacrifice of blood and life they have paid for our every convenience,
they have given to us the measures with which we declare our independence.

The risks that many have taken just to keep us safe at night,
the service they have given us in each and every fight.

The losses they have sustained for us in the presence of every threat,
compare those to the freedoms and the peace that we have kept.

Not once could we imagine such the pains that they have faced,
nor could the many lives that were lost be ever near replaced.

The costs which they have afforded for us through the battles they have waged,
in no time on this earth could such a debt ever be repaid.

These men, and even women stood for all that we hold dear,
and even now they stand for us that we might not live in fear.

The nations around us that would come to take our freedom while we sleep,
our heroes stand and face their peril, knowing not what it may reap.

The nation that they fight for, the land for which they bleed,
One Nation UNDER GOD we pledge, for us they do this deed.

Standing for the freedom, and the symbols that we revere,
The Banner of our Union, its meaning ever clear.

They have fought and still they do to give us what we have,
an Eagle that flies, a Banner that waves, and a Lady with torch in hand,
a Bell that rings our Freedom, and a land to call our home, This Land of the Free,
this home of the Brave, this country that stands alone.

When they marched into battle, or stood strong on their post,
the thoughts that kept them faithful are the ones that we should host.

They pledged their sworn allegiance, and by God, they stood firm.
They fought for God and Country, and through that faith they won.

For all that they have sacrificed, and all that we have gained,
surely we can stand together and recite the same refrain.

If nothing more than out of respect for the reasons that they stood up,
We The People should feel that these sacred words are not said enough.

The flag of our nation has flown in this land for as long as we’ve been free,
and we owe it all to the men and women who died for you and me.

This flag has bought with a price of pain what we might take for granted,
but that cost should confirm the loyalty that we must devote this banner.

The stars and stripes of red, white, and blue, that stream this magnificent figure,
are there to declare the statements that we all must forever remember…

From the halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli,
America the Beautiful stands true and proud and free,

What majestic songs are heard by all from sea to shining sea,
Our songs of Independence lain with shouts of victory.

Let freedom ring, and ring so loud that all will know its voice,
let all within our sacred land be filled with pride and rejoice.

We the people of the United States must stand together in truth,
and enforce the values that make us free for each and every youth.

Yes, that means to stand and state in a strong and powerful way,
that the pledge of allegiance to our great flag be recited in schools today.

Without this pledge we do not stand for the traits of this great nation,
and should not claim the rights to that which we refuse to mention.

To all who wish to love this land and the freedom that it provides,
the least we can do is with reverence remember the many that gave their lives.

To partake of the “rights” we seek, we surely must understand,
we’re required to observe the very processes that declare us a part of this land.

How can I say that I am free, if I will not pledge to my flag?
How can I belong to the American nation, if my loyalty is not intact?

I pledge thee my allegiance, oh my sovereign land of the Free.
I commit my spirit, my mind, my body, to all that you ask of me.

For you I will give of myself that my brothers and sisters may thrive.
For you I will even give up my life, if it means that your people survive.

This is the dept I owe to you for giving me all that I own.
This is the reverence I have for you that you’ve blessed me with freedom alone.

I pledge to your flag, and for that which it stands, A Republic Under God.
I pledge to the indivisible nation, with Liberty and Justice for all.

I pledge to the many that came before me to grant me this independence,
that all of my life I will think on their deeds in reverent sincere remembrance.

To all who would join me in making this pledge I give you my utmost regard,
for you are the patriots, the blood of this land, and we share the same grateful heart.

Travis M. Rosen
July 3, 2002