I have seen several of the flag waving events while driving by but last Saturday, while I was on floor duty, they waved their flags right across the street from my office on Lake Jackson. No kidding, there were horns honking all morning long!
I took a picture and received a summary by email from Tom Macklin:
"I want to take a moment to thank everyone who was able to attend and participate in yesterday's Patriotic Flag Wave on U.S. 27 in Sebring, Fla. yesterday. As always, our efforts were very well received by the public. Honking horns, hand waves and thumbs up were the responses we received. Unfortunately, but as usual there were a couple less than cordial responses. I want to pass along a couple of personal contacts I made with several drivers. One lady who was headed south (we were on the north-bound side) and was stopped at the traffic signal at Sparta Rd. and hollered across four lanes of traffic, "my baby's over there and I want to thank you." This in response to my calls over my mega-phone to the public to,"remember to pray for our troops and to thank a Veteran for their service to our country on Thanksgiving Day." Another gentleman who after having sat through a red-light cycle pulled up next to me obviously touched emotionally and said, " I just wanted to thank you guys. I just returned from Afghanistan three weeks ago and I just want to thank you for being here." I stepped out into traffic to shake his hand and thanked him for his service and assured him that we'd all be praying for him. Ladies and Gentlemen.... if you haven't had the opportunity to stand up in public and wave our flag and see the positive responses we receive you just haven't lived. Consider that in this small way we are showing not only our love of country, but that we are also paing respect to the men and women who have served and continue to serve us, and help preserve the freedoms that we enjoy, but routinely take for granted. Again I turn to the final words of the American Party of Florida purpose statement which reads: "MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE ARE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE SERVICE, AND SACRIFICES OF THE MEN, WOMEN, AND FAMILIES OF OUR MILITARY. TO THEM WE OWE OUR FREEDOM." Let us not forget them on Thanksgiving Day.
Tom Macklin American Party of Florida-State Chairman "
