By Randy Sharp, AFA Director of Special Projects
March 2002 – The campaign to place the national motto “In God We Trust” in Arkansas public schools is quickly becoming a patriotic centerpiece for bridging the generational gap between today’s young public school children and yesteryear’s war veterans. One such veteran describes the relationship as an emotional and humbling experience.
Burnis Posey is a member of American Legion Post 21 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, serving as president of the post’s Americanism Committee. Posey said the idea of holding “In God We Trust” rallies is exploding all across Northeast Arkansas. “We’ve been able to present a patriotic program to over 2,700 students in four school districts, allowing uniformed veterans to personally present a framed copy of our national motto to nearly 250 public school teachers and administrators,” he said.
Posey says AFA’s “In God We Trust” poster campaign gives veteran and other community-based organizations the perfect opportunity to become involved in local education. “I can’t think of a better way to teach our young people about our country’s patriotic heritage than for them to learn it from those who helped create it, our American veterans,” Posey said. “Experience is the best teacher, and our ‘In God We Trust’ program presents that experience first hand. This poster campaign has opened the doors for us to enter into the schools.”
The rallies, organized and presented by the post, has garnered the attention of other school district officials, who have openly welcomed the program being presented in their schools. Posey said the program is simple, yet highly charged with patriotic and historical themes.
Each rally begins with all students receiving an American flag from one of 20-30 veterans, while the PA system plays a patriotic song. The students hear presentations from uniformed members of each of the armed forces, who share experiences from their days of active duty during wartime. Love of country, personal sacrifice, and faith in God are recurring themes.
With a sea of American flags being waved by hundreds of students, a former Green Beret recites the poem, “I Am A Flag.” He charges the students to remember that freedom isn’t free. “It’s been paid for with the blood of those who loved God and country more than life itself,” he booms, finishing with a lyric from the fourth verse of the national anthem, “And this be our motto, in God is our trust!”
The veteran who usually garners the immediate respect of students is WWII veteran, Albert Richardson. Richardson shares how, as a high school student himself, he answered his country’s call to duty and joined the U.S. Army in 1944 at age 17. As a result of enemy cannon fire, Richardson lost his left arm and a portion of his right leg shortly before his 19th birthday. When asked if he regretted serving his country at such a personal cost, Richardson’s gentle eyes begin to fill with tears, as he fights to keep his composure. “For more than five decades, I’ve carried my wounds as a badge of honor, ready to share my love for America,” he said. “The cost required of me was small. The true heroes are my buddies who didn’t come home. They gave their lives.” Would he do it again? At age 76, Richardson firmly replies, “If my country ever needs me again, I’m willing to serve.”
Posey says his greatest reward from the rallies is seeing the students’ response. “They are very attentive. The administrators tell us they are amazed by how well the kids conduct themselves,” he said. Posey recalls one local student asking if he had a pen. Knowing he didn’t want to lose a good pen, he cautiously said he did. “A young girl about 12 years old asked me to sign her flag. It started a chain reaction. Before I knew it, about 20 kids lined up to get their flag autographed by a veteran.”
Korean War veteran Buddy Showalter isn’t on the program, but supports what his fellow veterans are doing. Like the others, faith carried him through the most difficult times of his life. “When it is 20 degrees below zero in a foxhole, your meat and potatoes lunch is eaten like a Popsicle. Your bayonet serves as the stick. For weeks, my only hope was a firm reliance on God. Without the prayers of the American people, I wouldn’t be here today,” he says. “We are blessed to live in a nation with a godly heritage.” He charges the students to remember, and take pride in our national motto, “In God We Trust.”
Posey said support from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. It began with the Craighead County Quorum Court (similar to a Board of Supervisors) voting in favor of a proclamation strongly encouraging the posting of the national motto in public schools and government buildings. One state newspaper reporter wrote, “We can’t find anyone against it.”
Another plus for Legion Post 21’s ability to enter schools is an Arkansas law regarding the posting of the national motto. In 1995, legislators passed a bill entitled “American Heritage.” It states, “Local school boards may allow and encourage any teacher or administrator in a public school district of this state to read or post in a public school building, classroom, or event any excerpts or portions of … the national motto….”
Posey said he would like to see other states adopt such a law because it alleviates a lot of misapprehension among school administrators. He says groups like the ACLU have falsely intimidated the public schools into thinking the national motto is illegal. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. Last year, Mississippi and Michigan adopted pro-motto legislation.
The American Legion Post 21 plans to take their program to other communities in the state, and is currently working on a video production of the rallies. “We want to put this program format into the hands of other community-based groups who want to use it in their schools,” says Posey. “I envision it spreading nationwide.”
Posey said he would help anyone who wants to hold “In God We Trust” rallies in their local school assembly. Contact: Burnis Posey, P. O. Box 1554, Jonesboro, AR 72403; phone 870-933-2088; fax 870-933-2099. 
