In response to a FB post I read, whereby a young lady, ostensibly an American, asked why anyone would really want to pledge allegiance to a symbol.  My response for what it is worth:

I want to stand for our flag and pledge allegiance to all that it represents. We Americans, immigrants or children of immigrants every last one of us, including the Indians, have put forth the greatest experiment in self-rule in the history of human kind. It isn't perfect. We aren't perfect. Our national mistakes, scandals, internal war, our street battles, our arguments, our grievous errors are out there for the whole world to see. 

We made the Five Thousand Year Leap in civilization, because we embraced individual freedom and responsibility for one's own life, philosophy, beliefs, values, morals. What worked really well for over 200 years, was pledging that allegiance, remembering and applying the Golden Rule, and working together to advance our society and fix our mistakes to make this country more equitable for all. 

We remain the beacon of hope for the entire world. Make no mistake about that. Don't ever doubt that for a second. There's no line, no tunnels, no boats, no homemade rafts, to get into N. Korea, Russia, Cuba, Japan, Finland, Venezuela, Peru, France, Canada, or anywhere else. Folks want to come here and they will do anything to make it. There are reasons for this international attitude.

 It serves zero purpose for the greater good, for folks to speak out against what we stand for, what we are striving for, to turn us away from making life in America better for everyone, for ALL. Kneeling during our anthem, tearing down monuments, advocating one skin tint over another, this is not what America is about. Never has been, never will be. 

Freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights come with limits, believe it or not, best imposed by Common Sense and majority rule, not by lawyers, civil libertarians who think they know what is best for all of us, nor protesters with nothing better to do with their lives. 

When I pledge allegiance to my country and its symbol, I am not ignoring the wrongs done to my fellow citizens. I am not advocating one race over another, one political line of thinking over another. I am not ignoring improper treatment of anyone, by anyone. I am recognizing the basic principles upon which our great country was founded. I am standing up to give notice that I believe in making it better for everyone through peaceful, lawful means.

 A House divided, cannot stand. One Nation, Under God (whatever that vision is for you) Undivided, with Liberty, and Justice, for all. No matter how long it takes. 

Questions? 

Thank You.

Research before pontificating is always a good idea.

NATO pulled out and declared an end to hostilities in Dec 2014. About 13k soldiers in the country fighting the Taliban and whomever else is there, and about half or more are U.S. soldiers.

Exactly how do we get left holding the bag after every war? We stayed in Europe after WW II, because Stalin wouldn't pull back, and the Cold War cost us billions. Yes, NATO troops were with us, but examine committed budgets from each of those countries compared to ours.

We managed to entangle ourselves along with the UN forces, in Korea. Three years later, and ever since, who is the overwhelmingling predominant military force there? Hint, it ain't the Australians....

NATO countries willingly went into Afghanistan with us, as Bush II neatly swerved around our Constitutional requirement that only Congress can declare war, by declaring he would follow UN sanctions and charters. How legal that move was, no one knows and heaven forbid the Fourth Estate would have the testicles to investigate.

Almost three full years after NATO allies withdrew, our president is re-committing troops to a strange cause. Like Vietnam (you remember that one, correct?) the landscape doesn't lend itself to ground troop battles. What is noticeable, is that, as of today, no other NATO nation has joined our president's announcement. Once again, America goes forth almost totally by itself, into the wilderness. The Military Industrial Complex is as strong as it's ever been.

Soon, American soldiers will start coming home in boxes, while a hard to find enemy dances around Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Meanwhile, the real enemy far closer to home, Islamic terrorist cells, rise up all over the globe raising havoc and bringing terror and death, all the while crying "we're innocent. We don't know how this could have happened. Please forgive our Imam. We didn't know he was a bad person."
Holy Crap.