While enjoying the music and band showmanship at the Harvest of Sound in Auburn, the band competition the following week in Central Square, and last week's competition at the Dome, I noticed with sadness and alarm that amongst the hundreds of twirling flags carried by the color guards, there was not one single American flag on display, with any high school performance at any event.

Given our country's present deployments on foreign soil it would seem that displaying our flag at such events would and should be a normal activity.

Drum corps competitions used to be sponsored by the American Legion posts so the American flag was front and center in the opening few minutes of each performance.

This was called the presentation of colors. Granted, band competitions are now generally a product of school systems, but that is not a reason for the flag of this country to be omitted from sight.

Had these band competitions been performed in countries such as China, Japan or North Korea, you can bet that their country's national flags would be very prominent in many places during the events.

Civilian marching bands are a product of military marching bands and the acknowledgment, respect and celebration of this history should be carried on, at the very least by honoring the American flag at each competition.

I call on all music directors to petition the New York State Director of Marching Bands to require that a presentation of the American flag be included before their performances.

This is the very least that should be done to honor the thousands of American men and women who unselfishly leave their families, endure unspeakable conditions in foreign countries and in many cases lose their lives in those foreign countries.

Richard A. Gagliari

Auburn

Gagliari is past vice commander of the Carnicelli-Indelicato American Legion Post No. 1776, and president of the Purple Lancers Drum & Bugle Corps of Auburn, NY, Inc.