I’m Proud To Be
An American
February 22, 2009
I just heard Lee Greenwood sing the song “I’m Proud To Be An American” and you know what? I am. Earlier today I was at a local concert and the orchestra started the concert by playing the “National Anthem” and I was so proud to see and hear everyone in the audience standing and singing. Now to be honest, the average age of the audience was probably 75. I’m not so sure what would happen if the average age had been 25 or even 35.
Have we lost that in America? The pride. Have we become so politically correct that we can’t even agree to be “proud to be an American”? I remember hearing stories from my parents about the American pride during WWII. Even as a child in the 1950’s I can remember July 4th parades and even parades on Memorial Day. Neighborhood yards filled with little flags. Putting wreaths and flags at the gravesites. Shop windows decorated with flags and red, white and blue streamers. Communities and people and families celebrated with pride. Have we lost that? I hope not.
I don’t have to go even that far back to remember 9/11. The worst day in American history and on that day everyone was an American. There was no hyphen Americans, just Americans. I grew up in an industrial area and like all other industrial areas of this country there was many immigrants. They didn’t want to be anything but an American. I believe that’s what we all felt on 9/11. Titles are so divisive. I’m not suggestion anyone discard his or her heritage. It’s just that when a hyphen comes before American, a line has been drawn. The only line drawn on 9/11 was Americans against terrorists. So to quote from a toast that goes back to our Founding Fathers, “Then join in hand, brave Americans all—By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall!” I’ll drink to that!
February 22, 2009
I just heard Lee Greenwood sing the song “I’m Proud To Be An American” and you know what? I am. Earlier today I was at a local concert and the orchestra started the concert by playing the “National Anthem” and I was so proud to see and hear everyone in the audience standing and singing. Now to be honest, the average age of the audience was probably 75. I’m not so sure what would happen if the average age had been 25 or even 35.
Have we lost that in America? The pride. Have we become so politically correct that we can’t even agree to be “proud to be an American”? I remember hearing stories from my parents about the American pride during WWII. Even as a child in the 1950’s I can remember July 4th parades and even parades on Memorial Day. Neighborhood yards filled with little flags. Putting wreaths and flags at the gravesites. Shop windows decorated with flags and red, white and blue streamers. Communities and people and families celebrated with pride. Have we lost that? I hope not.
I don’t have to go even that far back to remember 9/11. The worst day in American history and on that day everyone was an American. There was no hyphen Americans, just Americans. I grew up in an industrial area and like all other industrial areas of this country there was many immigrants. They didn’t want to be anything but an American. I believe that’s what we all felt on 9/11. Titles are so divisive. I’m not suggestion anyone discard his or her heritage. It’s just that when a hyphen comes before American, a line has been drawn. The only line drawn on 9/11 was Americans against terrorists. So to quote from a toast that goes back to our Founding Fathers, “Then join in hand, brave Americans all—By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall!” I’ll drink to that!
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