by Ted Sherman

Created on: June 06, 2008   Last Updated: June 16, 2008

Why is there so much controversy about Confederate Flag Day? If you're from the North and/or a minority, you get furious when a gang of Hell's Angels roars past you on their hogs flashing Confederate flags on their leather jackets. On the other hand, suppose you come from an old Southern family, and great-great grandpop fought with the Georgia Volunteers from 1861 to 1865. You'll get furious when some damn Yankee politician tells you you're not allowed to fly the Stars and Bars whenever and wherever the hell you want to.

So, why does anyone show the Confederate flag? Is it from pride of family? Is it a way to defy the law? Do you do it because makes people mad? Do you flaunt the flag because you're an unrepentant bigot? Do you sew it on as a piece of clothing and wear it because you think it looks cool? All of the above, and more. The controversy just refuses to die away.

Confederate Flag Day is still celebrated in some Southern states on March 6 of each year to mark the date when the original Rebel flag was first adopted by the seceding states in 1861. It had many forms over the first years of the war, as Southern armies carried flags into battle. By the time of Lee's surrender in April 1865, the one we see today as the Stars and Bars battle flag had been the most accepted one. Although that war is more than 140 years behind us, anyone displaying the flag can still cause considerable controversy. My brother's early experience is one example.

He was in line at the Army recruiting office at 8 am on Monday, December 8, 1941. It was a day after the sneak Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the U.S. into World War II. Within a week, the 19-year-old was on his way from our hometown in Pennsylvania to Fort Benning, Georgia, for basic training.

As the trainload of recruits arrived at the Army train station, as with all traditional GI greetings, they stepped down to loud and confusing barkings of drill sergeants. It was soon clear that all the recruits were city boys from the North, while the drill sergeants were locals from Georgia towns near Fort Benning, all with very thick Southern accents. The first clue of their attitude was that all members of the training staff wore old Smokey the Bear hats with small Confederate flags sewn on the front, or big flags on the backs of their fatigue uniforms.

It only took my Yankee brother a few minutes to assure himself of eight weeks of pure misery. As the recruits were lined up and the first roll call was held, each had

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