If you ask Cathy Pischel what her favorite color is, she鈥檒l tell you blue. But if she can choose more than one color, she would say red, white and blue.
For as long as she can remember, Cathy has been very proud of America. Through serving her country in the workforce and filling her home with patriotic decor, she displays an abundance of respect for her country and the American flag.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been very fond of the flag and very respectful of it,鈥 Cathy said.
Cathy's love for the American flag seemed like fate when she was born on June 14聽鈥 Flag Day.
鈥淚 always used to think when I was little that they were flying the flags for me,鈥 Cathy said.
Cathy and her husband, Kennard Pischel, both grew up on farms near the Niobrara River and graduated high school together in 1965. Two weeks later, Cathy moved to Lincoln to attend a nine-month business course at the Lincoln School of Commerce while Kennard began studying accounting at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
After taking a civil service test, Cathy and her cousin decided to move to Washington, D.C., to be secretaries for the U.S. Navy for a year. At 18 years old, a proud and dedicated Cathy was walking through the Pentagon in her high heels.聽
鈥淚t was quite an experience,鈥 Cathy said. 鈥淚t was very interesting for a young gal from Nebraska to have such an experience like that.鈥
When she returned to Lincoln, she married Kennard in August 1967.
After graduating, Kennard began working at UNL in the accounting administration where he handled financial books and contracts.
Cathy knew she wanted to continue serving her country so she took a job at Brunswick Corporation where they made missile launching tubes for the military. After a year there, Cathy decided to get back to a government role and began working at the Soil Conservation Service for the Department of Agriculture until her retirement in 2005.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 interested in the military, but yet, that was a way to serve my country,鈥澛燙athy said. 鈥淚 wanted to do as good as I could for the country and so by working for the government, that was my way.鈥
In 2002, Kennard said they purchased their first large flag pole for their home in southeast Lincoln.聽
鈥淓ven out on the farm I always liked the flag and then when we bought the house we said, 鈥榃e鈥檝e got to get a flagpole,鈥欌 Kennard said.
For over 20 years, they鈥檝e had a flag flying on their flagpole, always with embroidered stars rather than screen-printed fabric. In the summer, it鈥檚 a nylon flag and in the colder months, the flag is changed out for a cotton polyester blend for a heavy-duty substitute.
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鈥淲e always figure with the winter storms and stuff like that, it鈥檒l last a little better,鈥 Cathy said.
The flags tend to last between three and five years and when they begin to fray, Cathy brings it inside to mend what she can.
鈥淲e never let them get tattered,鈥 Cathy said.
At the end of the flag鈥檚 life, they take it down and bring it to a nearby fire station so it can be properly disposed of.
Shortly after purchasing their large flag pole in 2002, they began displaying 3-by-5 foot flags around their yard. Weather permitting, the couple displays the stars and stripes along their fence, light pole and on their home for patriotic holidays including Memorial Day, Flag Day, Labor Day and the Fourth of July.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 our way of honoring the country, so to speak, on the holidays,鈥 Cathy said.
A total of 10 flags are put out each time and are rotated through spares to keep them looking fresh. Kennard has a numbering system to help keep track of which flags go out for each holiday.
Their hard work to keep the flags flying comes from their love for their country and with Cathy鈥檚 special flag birthday. The majority comes from being a proud American, as it says on their front door.
The patriotism doesn鈥檛 stop at the doorway though. Inside, blue walls line the dining room where drawings and crafts from their two granddaughters show off the stars and stripes. Eagle decorations and more American flags line cabinets and walls.
In the guest bedroom for their granddaughters, previous Old Glory calendars featuring monthly patriotic pictures decorate the walls. The tidy beds each have flag pillowcases, one with a patriotic quilt. In the corner hangs a large frame of red, white and blue golf balls arranged by one of their sons to resemble a flag.
In the basement, another guest bedroom is lined with stars and stripes memorabilia including coffee mugs, boots, animals and popcorn tins. Some of the tokens have been purchased by the couple, most have been gifted.聽
Cathy said the flags and decorations help remind people of some of the looked-over holidays such as Flag Day and create conversations about the nation.
鈥淲e just want people to respect the flag,鈥 Cathy said. 鈥淚 know it鈥檚 everybody鈥檚 right to express their opinion, but with these people that burn flags and people that don't like the flag, to me, that鈥檚 disrespecting their country because the flag represents our country.鈥
Each Fourth of July, Cathy and Kennard gather with their two sons, daughters-in-law and granddaughters for a family picnic. When it gets darker, the flags are taken down to avoid accidental burns from stray fireworks.
鈥淲e kind of hunker down now because it just sounds like a war zone from all of that,鈥 Cathy said.
Photos: American flags in Lincoln and throughout Nebraska
Girls in Seward with US flag, 2019
Flag on gravesite, 2016
Flag raised 1971
Veterans raise flag before high school football, 2016
Flag bedspread, 1974
US flags at Strategic Air and Space Museum, 2012
Arbor Day flags, 2016
Flag at citizenship ceremony, 2016
World Cup fan waving flag, 2014
Flag Day, 1969
Spring Game American flag, 2017
Patricia Vondra with the flag, 1995
Patriot Day Boy Scout with flag, 2014
Skydiver at Cornhusker State Games with US flag, 2018
Flag for Special Olympics Torch Run, 1995
American flag at Lincoln Christian volleyball match, 2016
Flag Day at Willard Community Center, 1996
Constitution Day flags at Pyrtle Elementary, 2016
Haines Branch School students and flag, 1993
September 11 tailgate with flag, 2010
Flags honor hostages' release in 1981
Patriotic flag, American Legion Post 110, 2016
Armed Forces Day, 1970
American flag hangs at home, 1980
Waverly football team with flag, 2016
US, Nebraska flags outside Lincoln Southwest, 2010
Kennard and Cathy Pischel (from left) pose for a portrait outside of their Lincoln home on Wednesday. The couple adorns their front yard with flags, weather permitting,聽for patriotic holidays including Memorial Day, Flag Day, Labor Day and the Fourth of July.
Kennard and Cathy Pischel's Lincoln home is decked out with flags on Wednesday. The couple adorns their front yard with flags, weather permitting,聽for patriotic holidays including Memorial Day, Flag Day, Labor Day and the Fourth of July.