Independence Day 2010

Fireworks illuminate the night sky aboard Naval Station Pearl Harbor during a 4th of July celebration.

 Happy 234th birthday USA!  

 In 1776 the Founding Father’s declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain & started the most powerful nation in the world. 

 On July 4th,  Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress. Families across the nation will be celebrating today & each of them has their own way of spending the day. Some of us are thankful to be with our families while others are desperately missing our loved ones who are hundreds if not thousands of miles away. 

History Lesson

 Of course being a student of history, I have to give you a little history lesson. Today of all days we should remember that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. 

We are free because a few brave men stood up & said enough was enough. We would no longer live under the threat & fear of tyranny; our people can vote how they want & worishp how they want. Little do people know, however, is that John Adams predicted Independence Day to be the 2nd of July & not the 4th. 

In a letter to his wife he wrote… 

“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”  

Tradition

 Perhaps President Adams’ did not predict the date of our independence correct but he certainly got the celebrations right. The night sky will be lit up across America & the crack of the fireworks is just one of the many sounds of freedom in our nation. The children laughing & celebrating with their families is another.

While we sit down to our hotdogs & potato salad there are families who are missing loved ones on this important day. They are out there fighting to keep this land free. Our men fight on a front in a distant land with sand & fury filled battles. “We are the families who wait behind fight a war of silence. We rely on conversations we may never get to have or if we do they are only in our minds.” (alm 6/2010)

Finally… 

We must remember that as our troops fight for us not all of them have families they are coming back to. Yes they have mother’s & father’s who wait for them to return but the single men are fighting for everyone. They have a different mission from the married man who is trying to make it through the war to return to his family. The single GI just wants to return period. The fight & willing put their lives on the line for us every day. No matter who they are they are always missed by someone. As we celebrate this weekend lets remember who is giving us this amazing celebration. Who the fireworks & potato salad is really for. “You ask me ‘What do you fight for?’ I point to my family & say ‘For them’. You ask me ‘Then what does the single man fight for?’ I point to the flag & say ‘For you.’” (alm 2006)