It’s Time to Relieve the Frat Boys
The spirit of the Greatest Generation is back – in college frat boys facing down anti-American protesters. While these protesters trampled on the American flag and the values it stands for—the frat boys of Pi Kappa Phi ran into the fray to protect the flag from the protesters, putting themselves in danger for several hours.
On June 6, 1944, a analogous situation unfolded in the early hours of D-Day, as a British glider company, under the command of Major John Howard was given orders to seize a bridge to prevent German tanks and armored infantry from reinforcing Sword Beach. Major Howard’s orders regarding the bridge were to “hold until relieved.” Major Howard and the 180 men under his command repelled German counterattacks for hours until the ground forces from the beaches of Normandy broke through and were able to relieve him.
Young people across the country are and taking a stand against antisemitism and anti-American sentiment. And while they are facing hammers and water-bottle missiles—not machine guns and tanks—their spirit is the same as that of the landings at Normandy. The question we need to ask is: Who is coming to relieve them?
Tyler Shasteen (right)
Emma Dayton
On the University of Chicago, Tyler Shasteen saw American flags removed from the campus quadrangle, and with the help of friends, worked to replace them even while protestors occupied the quad. Tyler has previously dealt with the University of Chicago’s unwillingness to allow conservative groups on campus.
Emma Dayton, a previous Family Foundation intern, gave a voice to the worshipping Liberty University students as riots broke out across the rest of Virginia telling Fox News: “I’m not surprised at all… these institutions are surprised when they teach progressive values to the students, and they teach the students to hate their country, and then the universities are surprised when the same students turn around and vocalize that on the campus.”
Rory Wilson (left) & Charles Beck
At Columbia University, during the infamous storming of Hamilton Hall Rory Wilson and Charles Beck defended the hall from rioters in the middle of the night, waiting for the police to arrive to help. They never did.
Who is coming to relieve them?
It’s time for conservative adults to get involved. While we’ve seen the Interim Chancellor of UNC assist in restoring the American flag on campus, our news feeds show us few others speaking. The next generation is standing up, and we are excited to see it, but they need role models to follow. These role models don’t need to stand guard beneath a flag, or face down charging protesters, but they do need to display courage and bravery in the face of evil, and they do need to display the values which our flag represents.
By showing respect to the flag in the face of a mob, the UNC frat boys reminded the country not only that the flag is worthy of respect, but also highlighted the same spirit and worldview which lay behind the Allied invasion of Normandy—reminding us why the flag is worthy of respect: It represents the core beliefs the nation was founded upon—that God has endowed every human being with inalienable rights. Because our nation takes those beliefs so seriously, our young men will put their lives on the line to fight against oppression, exploitation, and tyranny. There is a reason our flag is worthy of honor above those of other nations, a reason we state every time we say the Pledge of Allegiance. The American flag stands for an indivisible republic, one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all.
We show honor to our flag not only because it represents the country we live in, but also because it represents the Biblical truth that human beings have value intrinsic to them. As the founders understood, this value can only exist because we bear the imago dei. The American flag stands as a reminder that all people, whether or not they worship God, are made in His image, and for that reason alone, they are worthy of liberty, life, and justice.
This is why frat boys defend the flag, why the Allied Expeditionary Forces stormed the beaches of Normandy.
Christians in America have a particularly strong stake in this fight. Because the worldview our founders passed down to us is inherently Christian, we ought to be the first line of defense when we see our flag come under attack. Not only are we called to “be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Romans 13:1) and to “seek the peace of the city” (Jeremiah 29:7), we are called to be wise stewards of our talents (Matthew 25:14-30). A country founded on Christian values—which recognize that our rights do not come from mere humanity but from the God who created us in His image—is one of the greatest gifts we will ever receive. We are called to prosper and preserve it, as the servants did in the parable of the talents.
Truth, justice, and the American way aren’t natural to humanity, and while we cheer for the UNC frat boys, we should also look at the anti-American protesters and remember that “there but for the grace of God, go I.” As sinners, we are far more likely to become riotous, power-hungry children than courageous, truth protecting men and women. The conservative movement can’t stay on the sidelines applauding these young students. It’s time to take the next generation and show them why truth is worth protecting, why justice must be for all people, why human rights can exist universally, and why it’s important that the star spangled banner still wave.
It’s time to relieve the students.