Florida’s Panhandle Flags
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Clear, 95°
“Oh, the places you'll go.”
Driving from central Florida north and to the west on Hwy 19/27 just before Perry there were multiple houses and several parking lot vendor stands selling what looked like modified American Flags. Taking a little closer look one could see that they were not the familiar red, white, and blue of our Nation’s symbol but were either blue/white or black/blue/white in color.
There were also flags similar in layout with a red strip going across just under the stars. I had not seen these before so it piqued my interest to see what and why people in this area were flying them in their yards or on their houses. To me, it was not disrespectful to “Old Glory” as I knew there must be meaning to them since this area had a multitude of the flags softly waving in the slight breeze.
Thin Blue Line Flag
I had an idea that the blue flag might have something to do with police officers since there were also the “back the blue” stickers on cars the last few years. What I found was this:
The "Thin Blue Line" stands for law enforcement's separation of order from chaos, or, as Oxford Dictionaries describes, it's a reference to police, "in the context of maintaining order during unrest." ... The thin blue line flag stands for the sacrifice law enforcement officers of this nation make each day.
The flag with the bright red stripe in it is in support of our nation’s fire fighters and EMT’s.
Today, the term “Thin Red Line” is a symbol used by fire departments to show respect for firefighters injured and killed in the line of duty. As firefighters are periled, they place their lives second to those they protect. They are forced to face their own fears and grasp for every ounce of courage to perform the necessary task. “The Thin Red Line of Courage” represents the last ounce of courage firefighters find deep in their blood to conquer their darkest fears in order to save and protect life and property.
Thin Red Line Flag
I am sure there are other parts of the country displaying these flags but I have not seen them yet and look forward to seeing them flown during my travels. It does not surprise me that our Southern heritage brings out the good symbols and people are still able to show support or patriotism in their community. The country needs more of that. As the times have changed, it seems people have forgotten what happened on September 11, 2001. There is still evil out there waiting and everyone is focused on politics or other things leaving our country vulnerable once again.
An observation while Traveling Life’s Highways, have a great day!