Rick Monday Saved Flag From Burning in 1976

Two protesters tried to ignite an American flag during a baseball game on Apr. 25, 1976. Rick Monday of the Cubs snatched the flag away before they could light it.

This act has been an inspiration to anyone that reveres the flag of the United States of America and for what it stands. This flag is why so many of our soldiers have died in foreign lands fighting for freedom.

This flag represents the 2,402 killed and 1,282 wounded at Pearl Harbor. 

This flag represents the 1,465 Americans killed on D-Day and the 19,000 killed during the Battle of the Bulge.

This flag represents the 405,399 Americans killed in World War II.

This flag represents the 58,209 Americans killed in the Vietnam War, including my cousin and high school classmates.

This is the same flag that is given to the surviving spouse of veterans who have served in the United States armed services.

Rick Monday was a very good baseball player, but those Americans who lost family members during wartime will remember him best for that day in 1976 when he rescued their flag.

Rick Monday may never be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but hundreds of thousands of Americans wish he would be voted into the Hall of Fame For Great Americans who have made a mark in the lives of all of us.

33 years have passed since that day but it will never be forgotten.