Honoring Memorial Day

Ignorance is bliss, sometimes that really is the truth. I was reading the New York Times online today, ( I know, I can already hear your heads collectively shaking...) and I came across a piece in the OpEd section on how the readers of the Times define America. Here, on the cusp of one of our most important American holidays, I was saddened by what I saw. I would like to say that I was shocked, but in actuality I wasn't.

The Times commentary was full of those who quite frankly hate their own country. They defined it as the land of the brainless and home of the obese. They talked about our collective delusion that we are the worlds lone Super Power. Some discussed how, in their opinion, our country enforces our morality at the end of a gun. It makes me so sorrowful to think that this is the way the majority views their country. Fortunately, I then remembered that I was reading the Times and that, in and of itself, was sure to tip the results in one direction, predominantly supporting one point of view.

Thankfully though, in the United States of America, there are many points of view. This is mine.

Let's start with Memorial Day before I address the definition of the United States of America. What does Memorial Day mean to you? Why do we honor this day and what exactly are we remembering? In what manner do we choose to celebrate?
For me, Memorial Day is a day of reflection and gratitude. It is a day to pause from our daily lives and reflect on those things that most of us take for granted every day. I have been fortunate in my life to know real heroes – the men and women of the United States military. Some of these men and women have laid down their lives – paid the ultimate price of freedom – because they love their country and all the ideals she represents. I know that Freedom isn't free. These individuals and their families have paid the price – and continue to pay the price. Today I have a friend – actually many – who is missing her husband as he defends this country. Today I have a friend that is being sent into harms way in spite of promises by our politicians to end this war. Today, I have a friend who every day mourns the loss of her only son. He gave his life so that all of us could live happy and free. Scott Vincent, and the hundreds of thousands just like him, are eternally my heroes. To them I owe the deepest debt of gratitude – one that can never be repaid. The very least that I can do for them is to take this day and remember, and to teach my children to do the same.

It is my honor to be a citizen of the greatest country this world has ever known. I was lucky to be born an American, and I will never be anything but proud of my country, I will never feel anything but the deepest love for her and all she represents. Does that mean that I do homage to the land of the brain dead and home of the obese? No. This is how I see my country:

In my normal day as an American citizen I have more freedom than most of the world will ever know. That isn't wishful thinking – it's the truth. I can go where I want to go.I can use any mode of travel that I see fit with minimal interference in my life relative to the rest of the world. I can express my opinions in almost any manner that I see fit. I can wear what I want without fear of reprisals – or worse. I don't need a male relative to escort me out of the house. I have no fear of dying in a soccer stadium because of my sex. I can go to any religious establishment and worship as I chose. Or not. Simply put, I am an American and because of that fact, I do what most of the world can only dream about. I have a voice and I have a choice.

To me, my country is about hope, choice, dreams, accomplishment and above all Freedom. The greatest compliment someone can give me is to say that I am an Idealist. It is then that I KNOW I am an American because, in the words of Woodrow Wilson, “America is the only idealistic nation in the world.” She seeks to do the right and criticizes herself for anything less than perfection. Yes, I Love my country and today, I celebrate and honor all those who paid the price for me to live in the greatest country in the world.