I asked a friend of mine who is a military wife to write a short piece for me about her thoughts on Independence Day. This is what she said:
The Fourth of July has had various meanings to me as I have journeyed through my life.
As a child, I was amazed with the wonder of it: the backyard pool party, the amazing fireworks, family get-togethers. The Fourth of July marked the middle of my summer vacation and a great excuse to barbeque.
As an undergrad, I majored in History. I became keenly aware of the significance of the Fourth of July: the Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers, the pursuit of democracy.
Now as I get older, I continually see the 4th of July in new lights. As a daughter of a 30 year Navy veteran and the wife of a 14 year Marine veteran, I understand the sacrifices made for our country's freedom. I often wonder why my husband has come home and others have not. But that is not for me to decide.
For me, the price of my freedom has meant my husband of almost 10 years has only been home for about 3 ½ to 4 years of our marriage. My three year old son only knows daddy for short periods of time and is more used to seeing his "Daddy Doll" than his actual father. And, for this, I am thankful; not for all the missed moments and quality time. But, instead, I am thankful for his courage, his sacrifice, his belief in our country and his unwavering defense of my freedom.
I often see the very freedoms my husband will die for as a paradox. So many of us don't even truly know the freedoms we have or we enjoy. I often watch the news and see anti-military and anti-government demonstrations. I am thankful for these demonstrations. I am thankful for the free speech to speak out against your government. At times, I get annoyed at the hypocrisy. Don't the protestors understand that without the military and the defense of freedom, there would be no right to protest?? The very ideals being protested are what allow the same liberties and freedoms to have protest. Yet, this is what American democracy is at its greatest: a paradox of freedoms. After all, it is only in America, where a citizen can protest the very government who campaigns for the freedom of protest.
So for this Fourth of July, I will celebrate the birth of our nation with a rare visit with my husband before he leaves on his umpteenth deployment. I implore all of my fellow citizens to celebrate, either through backyard barbeques and fireworks or civil protests. Please enjoy your freedom and rest assured my husband, and the hundreds of thousands of other dedicated members of the Armed Services, will continue to stand vigil over our freedoms.
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