To the person wearing the Steel Chickens hat during the playing of the national anthems:
Your actions were disrespectful to the international visitor’s flags and anthems, and quite an affront to the citizens of the United States honoring our flag and country. On two different days, I observed you’re disrespectful actions of failing to remove your hat and moving around the area while you were using your camera. I made a decision to not confront you while we were shooting a National Championship and it was important to me not to create a hostile situation. While I chose not to confront your actions at the time, I do want you to know your disrespectful actions were noticed and not appreciated.

Charlie McClure
USAF ’72-’76
Five generations of my family in the military, dating back to the Civil War.

During the rendering of the national anthem when the flag is displayed and during the Pledge of Allegiance, all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. Men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should render the military salute at the first note of the anthem and retain this position until the last note.

There were people from five different countries there, how do you know he was an American? There were two countries anthems I made it a point not respect because of those countries daily disrespect of the U.S. One can only expect the same from them.

Respect is a two way street. Not only can it be given and received, it can be earned. I made it a point to remove my hat and place my hand over my heart for ALL five national athems. Anything less - by anyone - would have been disrespectful. I choose then, and will to continue to choose, the high road.

Way to go Charlie! I totally agree. If you want to know my true feelings, post something on Behind the Berm and I will chime in for sure.

Behavior like that is pretty disgusting.
Anyone so low-life that he lacks the courtesy, decency, manners and upbringing to show the expected respect to our visitors' flags and anthems -- and to our own flag and national anthem -- is a disgrace to us all.
It would greatly surprise me to find that this individual ever served our country. He certainly was not serving our sport.

Ernie Kuney

What it is you don't get about not respecting countries that sponge off ours, disrespect our laws by illegally crossing our borders and motherf%$#@#$ us at every oppurtunity?

Which part of "quite an affront to the citizens of the United States honoring our flag and country" (as in failing to stand and honor the US flag) did YOU not get?
Beyond the disrespect to OUR OWN flag, which specific visiting competitors did you direct your insults at?
Are you the individual Charlie saw or are you just jumping in?
It's been my experience that people who evince this sort of behavior are very seldom heard from when there's a war on and the call to serve goes out...

Ernie Kuney

I'm not the person in question, and I love and respect the U.S. flag and country.
As far as the other countries go if you don't know you need to "get out" a little more. The canadians have shown disdain for the Americans since the revolution and if you travel there today the general population has a hollier than thou attitude towards us, what do think is so wonderful about them, there guncontrol laws?, thier socialist government.
Then there's mexico, what's thier number one cash export to this country, DRUGS, oh ya and I really respect one of the most corrupt governments on this continent. If I was a mexican I wouldn't stand up for my own flag.

Gentalmen please...I think this belongs on the other side of the berm....lets not air this for all to see.

Malinois,
That might be reasonable -- but I think I'll leave it up to the moderator.

Kevinbear,

I probably don't 'get out' as much as you. (Although I have lived and/or worked on every continent except the Antarctic.) Even having missed the South Pole, I've probably gotten, over the years, a fairly up-close-and-personal look at the international scene. I'd have to wonder which areas you have more personal experience in? (And I might ask what you've done -- on the pointy end -- to serve this nation and show your 'love and respect' for it?)

I doubt that the individual, visiting competitors who were slighted -- probably without even knowing it -- either condone or participate in their nations' failings. How much responsibility do you, yourself, have for our own present administration and its failings?

A lack of manners, courtesy and respect is indicative of a pretty low standard. If that shoe fits, wear it. Meanwhile, I note that we don't seem to have heard from whoever caused Charlie to start this thread.

Thanks Nomad.

Momma raised me to have good manners and treat guests respectfully, because hospitality is a duty. If they need killing later, that's a separate matter.

Nomad
One would think that all those life experiences would have taught you to attack the ideas and concepts rather that the man himself then turn around and lecture him on manners and courtsey. As for military service which you mention in every post so I'll address it, no I didn't. My father was a career AirForce Colonel- military judge, 26 years. By the time is was 18 I felt like already served my time and had enough of traveling from base to base. Yes, I know it's not comparable.
And as far as current political climate in the U.S., I'll take Obama over leaders of mexico or canada any day.

kevinbear wrote:And as far as current political climate in the U.S., I'll take Obama over leaders of mexico or canada any day.

We can probably agree on that one...

My younger son just returned from a semester in Mexico and it sounds like a good place to be from.

As usual with this group, and many others, the thread is hijacked. Since the individual that failed to show the simple respectful action to our flag of removing his hat, and he was wearing the Steel Chickens hat in doing so, I took this opportunity to post on Steel Chickens with the hope of impressing him to correct his actions in the future. As a group we should “police” our own.
Kevinbear, I did try to pm you, but you do not have an email account registered.

Charlie

TX CHARLIE:

I would hope that the indivual was nervous about the match and forgot to remove his hat.
I sure that he would have removed his hat if someone had reminded him.

Byron