To the editor:

After weeks of reading responses to my letter of June 9 regarding the Stacy Boulevard flag display, I feel compelled to set the record straight. Time and again people have misrepresented what I wrote.

Letter after letter has accused me of failing to appreciate the veterans of our wars.

My letter, however, neither said nor implied anything negative regarding veterans, for whom I have only the deepest respect. In fact, I made a point of noting how much I appreciate Gloucester's Korean and World War II monument flags that we fly on or near the Boulevard in honor of our veterans and fallen soldiers. It is only the Boulevard-long flag display that I think is due to be retired.

We Americans have been observing Memorial Day since the Civil War and Veterans Day in various forms since 1919. For generations, Gloucester has flown American flags at tasteful and appropriate locations throughout the city to remind us of our rights and privileges as Americans, and we have flown flags over our many war memorials as a reminder of the sacrifices made by those who have fought for our country. The Stacy flag display, however, went up only in 2002, well before the Iraq War began.

Was Gloucester somehow less than patriotic when our soldiers and sailors who returned from World War II, from the Korean War, from Vietnam, or from the first Gulf War were welcomed back without eight years of summer-long flag displays lining the Boulevard? I don't think so.

The 150 or so flags that have been cluttering Stacy Boulevard every summer for the past few years detract from the natural beauty of the harbor view. Opening up that magnificent view for the enjoyment of residents and visitors alike was the original intent behind the creation of the Boulevard park almost a century ago. Returning the Boulevard to its traditional appearance for much of the summer would be a sign of respect for that original intent.

As I wrote in my first letter, I believe that the large flags that have always flown along the Boulevard should continue to fly year-round, but so many small flags trivialize our national symbol and distract us from the large ones which ought to stand out proud and significant.

I also hope that further discussion of this issue will be civil, reasonable, and free from personal attacks against me and others who agree with me.

To me, one of the reasons that the American flag flies is to remind us all that we are a nation that values civil and respectful discourse as a means of expressing our different points of view.

Julia Brotherton

Harvard Street, Gloucester