Happy Belated Birthday, America!

America is great because America is good, and if America ever cease to be good, America will cease to be great.
~ Alexis de Tocqueville,1833

Three days ago we celebrated the birth of America- the greatest nation on Earth. The fourth of July has always been a special holiday in my family. Not only does it mark the middle of summer between school semesters, but it is a time to honor the many freedoms we enjoy based solely on the land in which we live. Freedom of religion, speech, the right to bear arms, ability to come and go as we please, shop where we want, do what we want (within the limits of the law), and all sorts of other freedoms. But these freedoms don't come free. Someone has to pay the price. Since 1776, men and women have sacrificed, fought and died so that we can remain free.
My uncle Larry lost his life in Vietnam in 1969. He was a PFC in the US Marine Corps and only 18 years old. He gave his life saving a fellow Marine. I never knew him and have only seen pictures of him. I've found his name on the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC twice. Seeing it and touching it always gets me choked up. To some, he and the 58,266 other soldiers are just names carved in granite. To me, he is someone I'll only know as a picture in the hall outside my bedroom door and the younger brother my dad will never forget. He's one of my heroes because of his service to our country.
My brother is currently serving his second tour overseas. He missed the births of his two children due to deployments in addition to countless holidays & birthdays. It's bittersweet not celebrating our Nation's birthday with him, but I know he was celebrating in a different way. He's over there so I can remain free over here.
The many men and women in our Armed Forces have a more important job than I will ever have. I'll never save someone's life or defend their freedom by giving my own life. I'll never stand before a hostile enemy and pray that I see my family again. I'll never take off a pair of combat boots and shake desert sand out of them, but many others will do that every day so that I can do my job and enjoy the many freedoms I experience here.
God bless America and our soldiers!