I remember so vividly, every morning, before school began, the bell would ring, and all the students would stand at attention to the flag, with their right hands laid on their hearts, while the American flag would be slowly drawn up to the top of the pole…all in silence, standing ever so still, then you hear all in of us sing, God bless America, followed by Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, followed by the National Anthem….then the bell would ring again…and all the students, myself included would quickly walk to our homeroom classes & begin our day in school. We were taught at an early age to honor our flag, what it stands for, our country. The year was 1971…and continued on until I graduated in 1978. There weren’t any school shootings, metal detectors, or guns. Violence was not tolerated.