While driving through Lake Isabella, we noticed an old US Army tank parked next to an American flag. I focused on the flag in the background, and use the softly focused barrel of the tank’s cannon as diagonal context in the foreground. It was a windy day, and the flag was flapping in many directions. I used my camera’s burst shooting mode to stop as many different flag configurations as I could. I chose this one because the flag is curling back upon itself, with only a sliver of space left between it and the cannon. There is no doubt that the flag is a national symbol, and the cannon symbolizes war. By placing them into this juxtaposition, I create still more symbols, all of them open to interpretation. The narrow space between them could express the tensions generated by war as national policy. The furled flag seems to recoil upon itself. It could represent an act of defense or defiance, or perhaps revulsion or retreat. Is this a pro-war or anti-war image? In the end, it boils down to political interpretation. Viewers will see whatever they want to see in these symbols, depending upon their own views of war and the national interest.