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March 2005 Table of Contents
Musical Insights
Our Flag Was Still There
By Deborah Craig-Claar
 There are few objects that embody the American spirit like our flag. It is a simultaneous image of our past and our future. Flags fly from our tallest buildings and drape the coffins of our fallen heroes. We raise them in victory, we lower them in mourning, and we cling to them in times of national crisis. It is no coincidence that the entire stock of American flags in this country came close to being sold out in the days following September 11th, 2001.
It is this powerful sense of national pride and faith that David T. Clydesdale and I hoped to capture in Our Flag Was Still There. I have often created musicals in the past by imagining what characters – Biblical or modern – might say or do in challenging situations. But for this musical, David and I decided to let individuals talk for themselves! We spoke with a veteran of the Korean War who remembered his experience when he first saw the flag after returning home. We heard the story of a naturalized citizen who escaped the Communist revolution in Cuba and was finally able to recite the pledge of allegiance to the American flag and call it his own. We listened to the moving account of a family member that was presented a folded American flag at the service of a beloved brother and son who was killed in World War II. We talked with neighbors and co-workers, youth, and children. Some of the stories were thrilling, some were gently humorous, others were heart-breaking. Alan Carter, the gifted film director whose work you've witnessed in Evidence of Grace and Eyes of Faith, simply turned on the camera, and we let words and feelings flow. Afterwards, David and I found that we had to completely reshape and restructure much of what we already written. The stories completely drove the musical, rather than the other way around. And I believe that is what gives this musical its unique emotion and message.
The accompanying DVD we created for Our Flag Was Still There was able to capture more than individual stories; it also contains images of our collective story as a nation. In a new powerful arrangement of Michael W. Smith's and Wes King's "There She Stands," we tell the poignant parallel stories of the flag-raisings by six Marines at Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945, and at Ground Zero by three firefighters on September 11, 2001. The DVD contains the actual film footage of Iwo Jima and the famous newspaper photograph of our country's red, white, and blue being raised again the grey desolation of 9/11. In a wonderful premiere of the musical by Bellevue Baptist Church at J & J's conference in Memphis this January, these two extraordinary scenes were enacted by live performers, played out against the backdrop of the DVD footage. It captured the best of both mediums, and once again offered evidence that technology and live performance can make terrific partners!
At thirty-six minutes, the musical has a built-in flexibility, and we hope that it might fit a variety of needs. There are more opportunities than simply Independence Day when we might honor the flag and the country it represents. This musical is especially appropriate for Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and an optional flag presentation ceremony is included to allow you to honor men and women in your congregation or community who have given their lives for their country. I've written extensive production notes (found at www.wordmusic.com) on how to procure ceremonial flags, how to incorporate local color guard into your presentation, and a large variety of other flag-related activities.
We all know that this is a time of faith and healing for our nation. Our Flag Was Still There was written to add another voice to our national prayer. The musical does not herald any specific partisan agenda, but instead, celebrates what is right and good and honorable in this country that we all love. I was speaking with a friend at church last summer during the time I was working on the musical. "Well," she said, "I hope you are going to tell people to put God back in America." I remember smiling and answering, "I don't need to; He never left." And I deeply believe that. Every time I read the words of our founding fathers, every time I sing the lyrics of our beloved national songs, every time I hear a child recite the pledge of allegiance, I know that God remains permanently woven into the fabric of this nation. And that's what I see every time an American flag catches the wind – God boldly declaring that He is still in control. Our Flag Was Still There offers an invitation, to celebrate and to reaffirm our faith, in God and in country. In the words of our finale:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag,
To the land where pilgrim trod
I pledge my life to serve it well
One nation under God
For the sake of those who died to see these colors
Flying in the wind
To my God and to my country
I pledge allegiance again."*
(*Lyrics by John Chisum & George Searcy, 2003, Integrity's Hosanna! Music)
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