A couple of my Montevallo friends suggested I explore and write a story about the man in the little house on Selma Road, also known as Alabama 119, who flies an American flag and a United States Marine flag from his porch every day.

My friends had noted, too, the flags are up every morning, taken down at night, never flying in the rain, and handled respectfully in every way.

I followed up on their lead and found James Moore to be very willing to talk about his flags and his belief in the country they represent.

Moore’s son, Jerome, is a retired Marine, which is why he flies the Marine flag. Jerome is now an Alabama state trooper.

James Moore flies the American flag to make obvious his love for and confidence in America. He said when he was a small child attending Almont Elementary School, they did not have many books, but they learned and repeated the Pledge of Allegiance every morning.

“I saw that ‘I believe’ as an individual pledge,” said Moore, “and I think you should stick with what you believe in. I don’t understand these people who turn on the country.”

Much of the time Moore can be found sitting — or standing — on his porch between the two flags reading.

“You need to know and understand what you believe in,” he said. “That’s why I read so much. I have books stacked to the ceiling in my house, mostly about history, science, and politics. Right now I’m looking for the latest book about President Obama.”

So, the mystery of the house with the flags on Selma Road was solved; no complicated story, but perhaps a lesson for us all in the importance of learning as much as we can about the things we really believe in, and of simply letting the world know that we love and have faith in this country of ours.