I'm a new American, legal-wise--got my citizenship in 2004. At the oath-taking ceremony, the Daughters of the American Revolution gave us each a small flag and a small gold-print copy of the Declaration of Independence. I have kept them as personal mementos, and the little flag is in a vase at home.
I love the country, which to me includes the place and the people. Coincidentally, I celebrate my birthday on the 4th of July, and I enjoy the parades, fireworks, and flag displays on that day, very appropriate for the nation's birthday. I thought before that it would be cute to wear an outfit with a flag pattern on my birthday but now it just seems to me to be somehow disrespectful or even presumptuous.
I also know that the flag is a symbol to honor the veterans on Memorial Day.
While I grew up in the Philippines, we didn't display the Philippine flag in our neighborhood, not even during the country's independence day, IIRC. Maybe it was lack of patriotism, lack of pride, lack of belief in our standing then as a nation. I do remember doing flag ceremonies everyday in school after Marcos declared martial law. Maybe he was trying to instill patriotism. (I was often late to school and the punishment was meant to trigger embarrassment but it didn't lessen my tardiness--I had to sing the Philippine national anthem and recite the oath of allegiance in front of the flag alone or with a few other late-comers.)
I have been in the US for almost 24 years but of course, I have no historical or family traditions of displaying the US flag. I can understand those who feel strongly about such traditions. I don't do it because I don't quite feel like I am a true American because I was 21 when I first came here. I also think of it as a symbol of military power and domination, and I am conflicted about that, or the purposes to which such power is used.
Anyway, I wish we had a symbol to commemorate 9/11 rather than the US flag.