On the morning of July 4, 2004 I am sitting on a dock which stretches about 80 feet out into Lake Nocona. Lake Nocona is about 10 miles from the town of Nocona, Texas. The town of Nocona is about 50 miles from Wichita Falls, Texas which is about 140 miles from Dallas, Texas.

This. This is America.

The annual Fourth of July festivities in Wichita Falls were held on Saturday, so the townsfolk could get to wherever they were going for the long weekend. The Mullings Director of Standards and Practices and I were visiting with long time friends Kenn Hill and Shirley Craft. In our case we were going to Lake Nocona.

Hill is a former helicopter pilot. Did two tours in Vietnam. Won a bunch of medals with the words "Valor" and "Oak Leaf Cluster" attached. He and I sat around on Friday night telling war stories like two old vets. Kenn was actually in a war. I got to hang out, for a time, with people who were fighting one. Nevertheless, it was interesting to compare his experiences with mine - even if mine were once removed.

Shirley is running for public office this Fourth of July. She is the Republican nominee for Texas State Representative. Having survived breast cancer a couple of years ago, she decided to do some of the things she had been thinking about for a long time and running for public office is one of them.

As a candidate for public office, Shirley, as candidates do, participated in the annual Fourth of July parade.

The firefighters participated, as did the police. The men driving antique cars were in. So was the guy on the mule. We didn't have guys on mules when I was growing up on Long Island.

Children rode bikes, and trikes, and had their dogs dressed up in patriotic regalia; the dogs understanding what was going on about as well as some of the younger kids, but just as excited by all the attention.

After the parade, there were speeches on the front porch of a place called Kell House. There was a local band. A couple of guys read a one-act historical play. It was pretty good. The mayor spoke for a few minutes as did a Colonel from nearby Shepherd Air Force base. The children's choir from a local church sang. Prizes were awarded for the usual things - including whose dog was decorated best.

Then came the main speech, delivered by Mrs. Merle Anthony. Teacher at the Wichita Falls Elementary School. Retired.

Ms. Anthony has the bearing of a woman who, for decade after decade after decade, accepted babies into her classroom and sent them out as young men and women. A real life Miss Dove.

When Ms. Anthony spoke, the children were shushed. The dogs were petted to keep them still. The ladies selling the hot dogs and apple pie stopped to listen. Many of them had been taught long division by Ms. Anthony. And she was about to teach them again.

Watching Ms. Anthony on the porch, some of them may have felt the years and the tears roll away. They were back in grammar school in pig tales and buzz hair cuts, staring out an open window at the vast Texas plain. Wondering what they might find out there.

Ms. Anthony taught us about two young men she had grown up with. Killed in World War II in the Pacific, buried in Wichita Falls. She talked about how they never had a chance to be married or have jobs or children of their own.

Long division and short lives.

She told us that they had died so that we could be standing as we were, celebrating our nation's birthday, with the freedom to be what we want to be, and to do what we want to do, wherever we want to do it.

Ms. Anthony is too old to put her American flag out every day, she told us. But she has a neighbor who comes over every morning; gets the flag out of her garage and puts it in its sleeve outside her front door. Every evening he comes and takes it down, storing it in her garage for safe keeping until morning. "I always know," she said, "that when I wake up in the morning, my flag will be in its proper place."

Ms. Anthony was making a point to us; to her class standing on the lawn in front of Kell House in Wichita Falls, Texas. We have an obligation, each of us, to ensure that America's flag is put out every morning in proud display, and put away each night for safe keeping.

Because of young Americans like the two she taught us about, we know that when we wake up each morning, our flag will be in its proper place.

Ms. Anthony is still one terrific teacher.

Happy Birthday, America.