Every day at 5pm

Everyday at 5pm I hear the national anthem played. We live right next to a military base, and they blast it loudly so you can hear it over the whole base, and in the neighboring vicinity. If you are on base you have to stop, face a flag, and stand still, preferably with your hand on your heart, until it is over. If you are in the service you have to salute. I don't know what would happen if, as a civilian, i didn't do this, but I don't mind. It's always a few minutes to ponder what that song really stands for, where our liberties really come from. Anyway, it is just past 5 and the anthem just played, and so it has me thinking about these things, like it does every time I hear it. At 9pm everynight taps are played. On the nights I am still up to hear it, I find the lonely trumpet melody very relaxing. Sad, too. That's the one that gets played at military funerals. Anyway, this is just a little part of our lives that you probably don't know about.