What July 4th Means To Me
As the Fourth of July approaches this week I found myself thinking about what it really means to me. For many it’s a day to be with family, have picnics, watch Fireworks, and a day off from work and while I enjoy all of those things that’s not what it means to me.
The Fourth of July makes me reflect on what early Americans went through, the hardships, the fighting, and the relentless will be to free. It must have been terrifying to fight for years and the amount of lives lost are mind boggling. July 4th is one day out of the year that we celebrate our freedom but, that freedom took 20 years to attain. It disgusts me to hear of a high school student in Massachusetts who had to fight for the right to say the Pledge of Allegiance in school because the flag was banned from classrooms or the Veteran who served in Iraq and received an eviction notice for flying the American Flag from his window.
We are America, and the flag represents us – we make this country. I will always display the American Flag proudly to show loyalty and allegiance. Today I feel it takes courage to continue with the dream of freedom. Overlooking how many Americans fought for the right to be free and are even still fighting to keep those rights secured is unacceptable. Our freedom didn’t come easily or without massive consequences and we need to remember to remain committed to that today. Not just on July 4th but, every day. I don’t think we can thank our military enough for their sacrifices – Veterans, those currently serving, and those whole will serve in the future, thank you for risking your lives to keep us safe and free. We owe it to ourselves and our Country to be proud to be Americans. To me, Independence Day means honoring sacrifice because freedom isn’t and never will be free.
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