The Phoenix else. He pictures himself, and the Colonel doing the exact same thing. Deep down he knows in all his sternness, the Colonel loved him in the only way he knew how. Alex moves away from Pastor Timothy, stands at attention, and raises his hand in firm salute to the casket in front of him. Then he picks the folded American flag up off the chair. He hugs it tightly to his chest and walks away without looking back as he hears the creaking of the machine lowering the Colonel into the ground.
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