(NOTE – the following is a mishmash
of some of my former 4th of July posts because today’s a day I like
to reflect on what the day should mean, not just barbecues and fireworks but a
celebration of what those momentous decisions made on this day more than two
hundred years ago created.)
Independence Day always leads to
thoughts of what it means and looking back on the history of the day. It’s
fascinating to ponder what the founders would think of what they created. I
think they’d be astounded that they generated such an imperfect yet wildly
successful proof of the power of human freedom unrestricted by the yoke of the
European class system that produced it.
The 4th of July was always one of my favorite
holidays, even before I joined the military. I was brought up, without ever
realizing it, to have a deep abiding love of this country and serving in the
military only refined those feelings. To successfully serve in the military you
have to believe in what you’re fighting for. That, more than any other factor,
can determine success on the battlefield. I know that a lot of civilians don’t
“get it” and at times even ridicule those who do profess a love of country. Certain
fanatical factions of the far right have attempted to hijack patriotism as
their sole property while also serving as the judge of who is “patriotic”. This
could not be farther from the truth.
Patriotism means standing up for the
values your country is based on, not on the convenient truth of the latest
politician. True patriotism is loathing the hateful message but loving the
freedom to send it. If nothing else America stands for freedom, an escape from
the notion that your station of birth determines your station in life. This is
such a precious commodity. I believe in the bedrock decency of America and hold
in utter contempt politicians and intellectuals who attempt to denigrate who we
are and kow tow to their foreign counterparts to curry favor. They don’t fully
appreciate or understand what America means to us.
We as a nation comprise the most
startlingly successful expression of the basic human need for individual
freedom that the world has ever seen. As imperfect humans we, as a nation, dare
to believe we can be better than we’ve been. That is the marrow of this country
and the profound, immense strength that fanatics will never understand or
successfully confront. Certainly worth
fighting for.
Even when we’re poorly led this
country shines as a fountain of possibility. That’s what the medieval thinkers
of radical Islam hate most about us; the power of belief. The genie of free thought can never be put
back in the bottle after it’s released; the taste is too sweet and that’s why
they’ll never succeed. Happy Birthday America, I thank God every day I was blessed
to be born here and allowed to defend you for a quarter century. The honor was
mine.
The following remains my favorite patriotic
song. It gets me all misty eyed and silly. I was fortunate enough to meet Lee
Greenwood during my military career and this isn’t just a song to him. He
believes every single word, as do I. 
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