No Respect!

My Dad has had Multiple Sclerosis as long as I can remember. He may have even been diagnosed before I was born, but I honestly don't know. He is the most amazing man I have ever known.  He has been the best father four girls could ask for, he is always available to talk to or vent to, and he is the funniest person I have ever come across. On top of all that amazingness, despite his diablity he works hard (too hard at times). He works hard at his job, hard in his gardens and bird houses, hard to keep his children and grandchildren happy. I guess we can just say he works hard at everything he does.

For love and honor of our country, in honor and love of his two son inlaws who served in Iraq and now Afghanistan, he has spent money, time and energy to fly an American flag at the center of his town. He gets up at dawn everyday and walks across the street to raise the flag (that he bought) on the pully and rope system (that he bought) and every day at dusk, he walks across the street again to lower it and take it in for the evening. He makes sure that it is always lit properly, he makes sure it is not flown in inclement weather, and he always puts it at half staff when it is called for.

It is all so honorable and respectful. But now onto the reasoning behind the title of the blog "No Respect!"

This weekend, my Dad went away to Massachusetts to train with a new service dog; a great dane named Georgia. Now, my Dad loves home, loves Maine, so when he has to leave to go out of town for a week he is always a little hesitant.  Of course, his new companion was worth all the trouble. He was so happy to be back in town with his 140 pound pup yesterday and he couldn't stop bragging about her. I couldn't get a word in edgewise on the phone yesterday, so you can understand my surprise when he called this morning saying "I'm so pissed! So pissed it brings a tear to my eye!"

He had high hopes of someone taking care of the flag while he was away, but when he walked across the street with Georgia to show her the daily routine, he learned that someone cut the rope and stole the flag!

Of all the pranks my father pulled as a child, of all the pranks my sisters and I pulled as kids, something like this would have never crossed our minds. It is the most disrespectful prank I can think of.  Was the thief proud enough to tell his friends, his uncles, his father what he did? Probably not, because it's guaranteed at least one of them is a veteran. So, why? What kind of attention were you expecting to get from this?

A was going to fly a flag in Afghanistan for him and send it home for him to fly in town. You can guarantee that town will never see that flag. The newspaper, columnists, and congress will certainly be seeing some strongly worded letters from a man who did nothing but the respectful and honorable thing for his town and country.