Where were flags at this year's Fourth?

It's hard to imagine having better weather than we did for this Fourth of July weekend.

Despite the good weather, I felt somewhat "down" as the holiday ended.

I'm old enough to recall Independence Day celebrations of my childhood in my old neighborhood in Chicago.

Then, owners of every house on my block somehow managed to affix an American flag to the front of their homes.

Many homeowners also added red, white, and blue bunting on their homes.

Many of my neighbors were new to our country; and many had fled here in the aftermath of the WWII devastation in places like Italy, Poland and elsewhere.

These newcomers were so glad to be in their new homeland that they couldn't get their flags up fast enough.

In all, the Fourth of July in the old neighborhood was a colorful spectacle.

Now, I live in a 300-home subdivision in suburbia.

Many of my neighbors here are also not native to the U.S.; they've come here from places like India, Pakistan, various parts of Asia and the Pacific islands, and from Eastern Europe.

Some of these folks have been in the U.S. for just a few years; but others have been here for a much longer time.

But something seems to have happened since I lived in the city.

Fewer than 10 percent of the homes in my subdivision displayed American flags for Independence Day 2008.

While not perfect, I still think our homeland is a pretty good place and that independence and freedom are worthy values to celebrate in a demonstrable way.

I find it sad that so many people don't feel this way too.

I was saddened too when I attended a "Fourth of July Celebration" over at Hamilton Lakes in Itasca.

Except for a small American flag carelessly discarded on the ground, I saw only one small American flag on a staff.

Apart from a 60-second comment by a sponsor before the fireworks began, the celebration could have been for any day of the year.

Then, as the wonderful fireworks display was launched, rock music - not patriotic music - played in accompaniment.

A failure to show appreciation for our country is beyond sad when such oversights occur at the very time when our country is at war and when men and women in the military are dying to preserve our freedoms.

I guess the symbolism of flying the flag, playing patriotic music and I have all become hopelessly out-of-date.

Charles F. Falk

Schaumburg