It was a hot summer afternoon, and my father was enjoying his barbecue cookout with his grandchildren playing by his side. I was just a few weeks away from going back to college to finish my degree, and I needed some advice about my future direction in life.
My father is a retired soldier who served his country during the Vietnam War, in the 10th Special Forces Unit. So, I went to him and shared that I was thinking about following his footsteps to enlist in the military. His eyes stared into the trees above him for some time before he came back to me. He said, “Son, whatever you decide to do, war is hell on Earth and it’s a serious decision. I want you to know this reality exists and to not take this decision lightly.”
I knew then that he encountered a flashback to the ugly memories of war and wanted to share his wisdom for my benefit. The look in his eyes said it all, and I decided to simply finish my higher education. Since then, he shared more stories of his fellow soldiers and their sacrifice; how proud he was to have served his country; and the very lives he fought alongside, for America and for the nations fighting to acquire that very same freedom and liberty we sometimes take for granted. His words did not go unnoticed, and even as a young man, I absorbed my first taste of patriotism and understood that freedom and democracy are not a given. They are hard-fought human rights.
From inception, this nation has always fought for the differentiating line between what is right and what is wrong, democracy and tyranny. Today, the clarity of this line is getting foggier by the day. Despite all the opposite political views and beliefs, we as a nation are looked upon as the leader for the free world, whether we like it or not. America is looked upon as the lighthouse more than we realize—a beacon and a symbol of hope, freedom, and liberty. Anyone keeping up with current events has witnessed hope eroding in zones within our own borders and around the world. There are countries in every continent struggling to maintain their freedoms or have lost them. Despite these man-made challenges, a symbol of hope was proudly displayed when countless Hong Kong citizens waved the American flag during the 2019–2020 democracy protests. The red, white, and blue waving proudly and high showed communist rule and the rest of the world that democracy and freedom are worth fighting for.
The internal strife we are facing today has a lasting effect on the principles set forth by our Founding Fathers. The sacrifices generations before us made to ensure our freedoms are what laid the very foundation for this country, and what sets us apart from any other nation since civilization has been recorded.
We have a valued responsibility, not just for ourselves, but for the world we call home. How we fight amongst each other or the differences in political views is not what matters. It’s what the United States of America represents and practices daily, and what global citizens are seeking to acquire—to simply live out their lives in peace without oppression is what so many cherish and seek.
Thus, I will never forget that day when my father looked away into those trees above him. His thoughts were lost in the great sacrifices he made, and in his fellow soldiers who paid with their lives to ensure every American can continue to enjoy and practice democracy, liberty, and freedom, making sure the ever-present tyranny that surrounds us all never wins. We as Americans should never forget this honor to love what our country stands for.
Why do I love America? The honor, privilege, and responsibility I carry as a beacon of hope and freedom for the global community, cherished so deeply by those who must fight to preserve this for us all. America’s freedom was earned, not given, and must be practiced based on the principles our Founding Fathers have laid out for us. What I’ve deeply respected and cherished since my young adult life now must be passed along to the future generations of Americans.
