The story behind the Hampden Pledge

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    For those of you who frequent the web — and especially Facebook — you’re probably familiar with the two Hampden town councilors who declined to stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance at a recent meeting.
    Unfortunately, someone was recording the proceedings and — as the saying goes — the whole session went viral in a matter of minutes.
    After viewing the YouTube video, I discovered a familiar name. Hampden Town Councilor William Shakespeare — yes, that’s his real name but he never wrote a play — was also a major in the 76th Division Training Command and we served together in the Augusta unit.

    So I emailed him a few days ago to say hello and recap some good memories of our time in uniform.
    He not only responded, but also explained why he remained seated during the pledge.
    “I have served on the Hampden Town Council for close to five years.  The other individual, Dr. Thomas Brann, (served) for over 10 years.  We serve for the people, not for a personal agenda.
    “What you see is all about politics, and it’s shameful.  The group attacking us is called HALO, better known as Hampden Association of Landowners.  If you go to the Bangor Daily News (website) on March 21, you will see an article on ‘Hampden Craziness,’” he wrote.
    He also blames a lot of the turmoil on State Rep. Brian Duprey, whose wife, Carol is mayor of Hampden. “They have, so far, used patriotism as a tool to control most members of the council and the public,” Shakespeare wrote.
    Shakespeare, who retired from the Army Reserve a while back, added that he and Brann are veterans and both served in the Army during Vietnam.
    So why does he stay seated during the pledge? “How many times do you remember us, as soldiers, ever reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at any military formation or function? This is what bothers me. It was written for schoolchildren in the late 1800’s, and is still used in many schools as a ‘tool’ to teach patriotism. So be it. I am sick of it being abused,” he wrote.
    Shakespeare went on to say that the reason the whole affair wound up on YouTube “is a payback for getting HALO’s name out to the public in the BDN article written on March 21, 2014.”
    I guess I have mixed feelings about my old Army comrade’s stance.
    While I was at a Piscataquis Community Elementary School assembly awhile back, the entire school recited the Pledge of Allegiance in the gym.
    The Dexter and Pittsfield town councils start their meetings with the pledge. In Dexter, they even add a prayer to the proceedings by a local minister.
    Major Shakespeare is correct about one thing: I don’t remember ever saying the pledge at a military function. I guess that’s because we didn’t really need to be reminded that we’re “one nation under God, indivisible” while in uniform.
    But as an American citizen, he has the right to express his opinion — even passively.
    So as the late Paul Harvey would say, “Now you have the rest of the story.”
    Mike Lange is a staff writer with the Piscataquis Observer. His opinions are his own and don’t necessarily reflect those of this newspaper.