Former serviceman Joe Barwinczok's chest swells with pride every time he sees the red stripes waving in the wind.

American Civil Liberties Union director Barrie Gewanter doesn't want to see anyone set fire to Old Glory.

And veteran Nicholas Valenti can't image anyone wanting to harm the symbol for which he fought.

But all three have their own concerns surrounding the U.S. Senate's vote on the flag-burning amendment one week before Independence Day.

The Flag Desecration Act, which would outlaw burning or otherwise destroying the American flag, was one vote shy of achieving the necessary majority. The vote has rekindled the debate over how much protection to give the flag while also respecting free-speech rights.

World War II had already taken its bloody toll when Barwinczok enlisted in 1946. He served in the United States and European theater until his mother's illness brought him home seven years later.

“The flag's an honor,” he said. “So many guys died for the flag, and now a couple of idiots want to burn it. I think we should send them to war and see how they act then.”

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Cayuga Post 1975 post commander showed disdain for the one vote gap that caused the bill to fail that would outlaw burning the flag.

Barwinczok, a former motor sessions leader, pays his respect by picking up worn flags from a collection bin at Wal-Mart. VFW members follow a ritual to honor the flag before burning them ceremonially.

But Gewanter campaigned to honor another kind of Americana.

The executive director of the Central New York Chapter of ACLU was pleased by the flag-burning amendment's defeat, but finds the minute margin “troubling.”

The 66-34 tally missed the two-thirds majority needed by one vote. The House endorsed the proposal by 286-130 last year.

“The reality is the (system) balanced out and the democratic process prevailed. The Senate's wisdom of upholding our freedom held firm,” said Gewanter. “Restricting liberty and to limit expression itself - that's unAmerican.”

The amendment would have opened Pandora's box, ushering more intrusive regulations, she said. Legislators efforts to limit citizens' actions would violate the basic principles the flag represents.

“These sorts of proposals to add censorship to the Constitution ... come up annually this time of year because it's around Fourth of July,” Gewanter said. “It makes it seem patriot to support the flag, but people don't understand it's unpatriotic to trample on our liberties.”

Gewanter stressed that not all servicemen approved the blanket amendment that outlaw any physical desecration to the national banner.

“Some veterans realize that what they fought for is our freedom, and they want to speak freely and non-violently express themselves without the fear of being arrested,” she said.

Valenti just wonders what kind of person would choose to express themselves with a lighter and a flag - his country's flag, like the one that flew over his aircraft carrier while roaming the coastal waters of Vietnam.

“When I see a flag, I feel something I can't put into words and I don't understand why others can't feel it,” he said.

The Cayuga County director of veteran services understands people's concerns about the measure infringing on free speech and doesn't blame others for their hesitation

However, Valenti calls for higher standards for the symbol of America.

“I have trouble reconciling how a person serves a country, fights for a country... or is maimed for that country and then he come back here to see the symbol of what he fought for being burned,” the former Marine said.

In actuality, protesters rarely burning or deface flags, said Gewanter.

No matter what side people are on, respect of the country's values is central.

Charles Carroll belongs to an organization of sons honoring their fathers who served in World War I. Members visit first-grade classes to teach the history and importance of the flag, and the nation it represents.

By catching them early, he hopes to raise awareness about the importance of the country's stars and stripes.

“People think freedom is free, but it's not. Men die for that flag,” said Carroll, who served the majority of his Army service in Germany.

The member of the VFW had help reviving citizens' admiration of the flag.

After Sept. 11, 2001, Auburn residents raised concerns at Cayuga County offices because workers had put away the flags for the winter, said county Legislature clerk Lee Brew.

A large flagpole stands in front of the Historical Post Office, near a massive fir planted as a veterans memorial. Workers had to call on the Auburn Fire Department to help hoist the garrison flag because the pole lacks a rope.

Firefighters had to drive the station's truck to the building and raise the 15-foot by 20-foot flag by walking up the engine's ladder.

To Brew, the episode proves that citizens will always look to the flag - something that's not going to fade in the summer sun.

Staff writer Jessica Soule at 253-5311 ext. 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net