I am proud to be an American. I really am. In the world we live in today, it’s easy to forget this.
The national media doesn’t focus on the benefits of our freedoms, but on the dangers or abuses that result from these freedoms. It’s the freedoms we hold dear that allow individuals and groups to cause acts that offend and sometimes harm others. It’s the American way.
With all the “ugly” seemingly going on around us, I refuse to feel guilty for being an American.
Instead, I choose to remember the countless lives that have been lost so I can have the freedoms I celebrate. From the 1770’s and our war against the British to our Civil War, World War I, World War II, and every battle we’ve had in between and since, if I had a list of names of those who have died so I can live in this free country, it would appear to be endless...with each individual named being a precious life lost.
If you add to the list above all of the veterans of the wars whose lives were forever changed by resulting physical or mental disabilities, the list would more than double.
I don’t believe a single one of these proud men and women died or suffered injury in vain. Because of their commitment to this land called America, I can stand on their shoulders today and live free.
Wikipedia lists 1,354,664 as the number of American deaths from war from 1775 to 2019 with 40,031 soldiers missing and 1,498,240 wounded. The total casualties from war totals 2,852,901. Clearly that number is wrong, but it’s the best Wikipedia can compile from the data it can find.
It’s not fair to just look at the total numbers. They easily become somewhat meaningless. You must look past them and “remember the name” of each individual who made the sacrifice.
The point is that each life lost at the battle of Yorktown or on the beaches of Normandy was a precious life that did not get the opportunity to enjoy old age. Each death left a hole in a family from the loss of a loved one. Today there are heroes among us in our communities and continuing to serve us both in our homeland and across the oceans.
I don’t ever want to forget the men and women who have sacrificed to make America what it is today. I’m grateful for their service and their selfless giving.
Today we enjoy freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of press, freedom to carry weapons, freedom from unlawful search and seizures, freedom to petition our government to bring about change, the right to a trial by a jury of our peers, the right to due process, and the list goes on. These are all freedoms our country created over 200 years ago years ago. It was a novel concept then and it remains in tact today.
I understand there are injustices regularly occurring, but there’s injustice in every country that has ever existed. Injustice will always occur when you have imperfect people governing imperfect people. Our country has many issues that need to be addressed. It is a long way from perfect.
But our foundation is correct. Our challenge is to avoid abuses of our system. With about 330 million Americans plus those on our land who are not Americans, there are a lot of moving parts that need to be corralled. Less than 5% of the world has the opportunity to live here. And I do see it as an opportunity.
So what am I saying? I’m saying that I don’t stop often enough to count my many blessings. I’m glad I don’t live in China, Nigeria, Mexico, or other countries in existence today. I have the freedom to move to one of these countries if I felt I would have a better life.
The freedom of religion allows anyone to worship whatever they want as long as it doesn’t bring harm to others. The freedom to assemble allows like minded individuals to gather and carry signs in a peaceful manner. The freedom of the press allows media to report and interpret events as they deem proper. The freedom of speech allows us to speak openly about what we believe in without worrying about the government arresting us as long as it is not designed to bring harm to others.
Our freedoms bring opportunities. It is our freedoms and opportunities that cause us to have an immigration problem. Put candidly, others want to live in America because of the reasons I’ve addressed above. If you work hard in America and meet the needs of those you serve, you can improve yourself economically.
You can become a plumber or work in aviation. You can obtain a college degree and become a doctor or a CPA. You can have one child or ten. You can live in a big city or out in the country. You can attend a house of worship of your choice.
If you want to bring about change you can run for city, county, state, or national leadership positions. You have the freedom to join a political organization or a social justice group and, along with others who are like minded, raise awareness and bring about change.
Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not speaking against change, just in support of what we have been blessed with. I’m not saying that justice always prevails, just that when it does it doesn’t seem to be recognized. Ninety nine arrests can be proper, we don’t hear about these. One arrest can be totally wrong and it will make headlines tomorrow. Work to correct the wrong arrest, but don’t loose sight of the 99 correct ones.
My challenge to you today is to have an attitude of gratitude for all that you have been blessed with. Recognize those who’ve sacrificed greatly for the freedoms you have today and continue to sacrifice today so America can continue to exist.
Lee Greenwood sang it right in “God Bless the USA.” “If tomorrow all the things were gone I worked for all my life. And I had to start again with just my children and my wife. I thank my lucky stars to be living here today. ‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom and they can’t take that away.
“And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died who gave that right to me. And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend Her still today. ‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land. God Bless the U.S.A.”
You can choose to stand up as a proud American or to be embarrassed, feel guilty, and drop your head in shame. The choice is yours.
If someone chooses to be offended because I stand up and stand tall for this great country I call home, I plan to stand tall anyway and be grateful for those who sacrificed so I can have my freedoms today.
Just a thought...
Rick Kraft is a motivational speaker, a syndicated columnist, a published author, and an attorney. To submit comments, contributions, or ideas, e-mail to rkraft@kraftlawfirm.org or write to P.O. Box 850, Roswell, New Mexico, 88202 - 0850.
