Memorial Day

May 25th, 2008 at 07:38pm Don R. Gugliuzza

As many of you know I may not always be right in what I submit but I always write the way I feel. This submission will be no different except I really believe what you are about to read is the truth and will be unchallenged.

I think that too few of the people today really know what Memorial Day is. To many of us, it’s a day off from work, a newspaper full of sale adds, a parade and flags being flown at some homes. But today is more than that. It’s a celebration of the indominable spirit of the American people. A people who have prevailed over every challenge. A people who will never accept defeat. A people who will never surrender their freedom.

We gained our freedom by defeating the most powerful army of it’s time. We did it with ordinary citizens who had too little of everything except the desire to be free. Through the 232 years of it’s existance we have defended, not only our freedom but the freedom of others. We have sacrificed our children in the defence of our country and all other countries that were threatened by tyrany. We have won many battles and many wars. We have defeated many enemies. But unlike any other victorious nation in history, we have never conquered lands. We have never taken any country as our own. To the contrary. We have been generous and forgiving to our enemies and made them our friends. We are a people who are steadfast in battle and gracious as victors.

But our country is not just a location on the globe. It’s not just the physical dementions that can be defined by borders. Our country is a spirit, an ideal, the most honorable of all endeavors. It is also the most diverse nation the world has ever known. It is impossible to describe a spirit just as it is impossible to describe an American. We are short, tall, fat, skinny, rich, poor and every color in the spectrum of humanity. It is because of this diversity, the ingrained national goodness of the citizens of this country that we are the first to come to the aid of those who need what we have to give, and give we do.

Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Conservatives, Liberals and every other sector in our political makeup are all Americans. We have different ideas of how the country should be run, but not what the country should be. So, as we celebrate those who have served our country, those who survived their trials and those who fell in the most noble of all causes, let us remember that we are one nation. A nation that is made up of people who still believe the ideals written inĀ the historical documents of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. Be proud of our country. Be proud to be a citizen of the most loving and giving country the world has ever known. Be an American.

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