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I'm a Patriot 3/26/2010 11:46:19 AM
I’m a patriot, but it wasn’t always that way. As a boy, I grew up during the age when Flash Gordon, Rocket man, Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and John Wayne were the heroes of the day. There were others, but these were my favorites.
My heroes were the men in the movies, and like most young boys my age, I fantasized about being just like them. Men who stood out in the open, standing up for what they believed was the right thing to do. Who always fought against the evil in the land.
Real life was not a pleasant one during my childhood. I had step fathers who found displeasure in me and appeared to be against everything I tried to accomplish in school. I don’t know why I was treated with such abuse but I found myself daydreaming and escaping from reality through the deeds and actions of my heroes. They came to my rescue.
In my mind these heroes played an important role in my life as time moved on through elementary, junior high and high school. American history was the curriculum of the day and recitals of the Constitution, preamble and the pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States became mandatory. All of my fantasies and realities blended together with the events of that decade and was probably where the foundation of being an American took root. But this alone didn’t make me a patriot.
I never really had an opinion of my own about anything. What did I understand about politics or daily events? I just grew up being the smart aleck fast mouth teenager who had no clue what was going on in the world, until John F. Kennedy was killed. It seemed that everybody loved JFK. Most teens don’t listen much to the adult world. However, I couldn’t help but hear what they said about him. He was the equivalent of the men of action in the movies that I admired so much. He was a real life person but I started to associate him as one of those heroes. This became more evident after watching the movie PT 109. So when I heard that he was killed, cut down by an assassin’s bullet, I was devastated to say the least. The heroes in the movies don’t get killed. They stand tall in the saddle and live to fight another day. I think this was the day that I grew up and started to face reality the way it really was. However, this didn’t make me a patriot either.
Like most young men, I couldn’t wait to turn 18. My only thoughts were when I was to reach that age; I would be free to do what I wanted to do. Stay up late at night or not come home at all if I didn’t feel like it. This was a taste of freedom that I was going to enjoy. But then, on my 18th birthday, I joined the United States Marine Corps. It wasn’t out of duty for Country or anything like that. It was because two other friends of mine were going in and I let them talk me into going with them. I think this was one of the most grueling hardships of my life. I almost didn’t get through it, but on the day of graduation from boot camp, I was one proud Marine. I spent a couple of years stateside and I developed a sense of duty that made me more aware of the world I was living in. I was ready to do what I had to do and be proud about doing it. And it was then that I really started to become aware of what a Patriot was.
At a Marine Barracks in Bremerton Washington, I went on a detail more than once, with other Marines to raise the American flag, a Holiday flag to be exact. I really don’t remember what holiday it was, but something came over me during this time. It was an emotional moment in my life as I was instructed to be careful not to let it fall on the ground. After the ceremony, I started to ask others, mostly NCO’s, why so many rules about the flag? We didn’t have computers back in that day, so you couldn’t Google it to find the answer. One hefty Sergeant that I knew told it to me like this.
“It has to do with respect and honor Shackelford”.
Even though this Sergeant was one of the toughest marines I knew, he had an easy going persona of himself and proceeded to teach me concerning the meaning of his statement.
“That’s right, respect and honor. We respect the meaning of the design of the flag because it honors those who fought and died for the way of life we have in this country. White represents purity and innocence. Red, stands for the valor of those who spilled their life blood to defend our freedom”.
I wouldn’t say that I remembered everything he said that day but I remember his recital of a verse from the Star Spangled Banner that is not used in the American National Anthem that we traditionally sing but it is there none the less. It goes like this, (and I had to look it up to write this peace so it wouldn’t be misquoted).
“O! Thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just. And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.' And the Star - Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
I began to understand that we as a people must stand up and be counted if we are to defend our freedom, and the liberty to live our goals to the fullness and fight if we must if the cause is just. What better justice is there to fight for when we are threatened on every side. I believe it is our duty to fight for our way of life and the liberty that is granted us at a great cost. Generation after generation believed this and it should never be forgotten or ignored from the people on the streets, right up to the white house. He went on to defend what I clearly understood did not need defending and we went our separate ways. I learned later that he died in Vietnam, but I know he died for what he believed in.
I also went to Vietnam and the rest of the story in that time of my life is recorded in my book, “A Purpose for Sacrifice”. Even though it is a Fictional Novel, most of the events are true and the main character represents my frame of mind at the time and it was a very difficult experience to say the least and I spent a good 30 years putting it together, changing it several times before I got it published.
It was back in 1971 when I became a Christian and put my faith in Jesus Christ alone for my salvation, a decision that I’m never sorry for making. It changed my life completely and it even solidified my stand as an American and Patriot. I’ve seen the poverty and disease as well as the oppression in other countries which makes me more thankful for being born in America. When 9-11 came about, I went down to the recruiter to try and re-enlist. They wouldn’t have me, said I was too old. But that didn’t stop me from talking about why we should be fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq or any other country that believes that America should not exist and I shall stand defending that right until I breathe no more. There is a saying that goes like this: “you must stand for something or fall for anything”. To me, this is a very true statement.
So now, I can say that I’m a Patriot and it really doesn’t matter to me if you agree or disagree. Someone said to me once, “We should agree that it is ok to disagree”. I now know that I can put in writing my beliefs and opinions and in that way I can fight as an American Patriot.
As I close my argument I would leave you with the words of Steven M. Warshawsky in his writings from “The American Thinker”
“What distinguishes the United States from other nations, and what unites the disparate peoples who make up our country, are our unique political, economic, and social values, beliefs, and institutions. Not race, or religion, or ancestry. Whether described as a "proposition nation" or a "creedal nation" or simply just "an idea," the United States of America is defined by our way of life.
This way of life is rooted in the ideals proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence; in the system of personal liberty and limited government established by the Constitution; in our traditions of self-reliance, personal responsibility, and entrepreneurism; in our emphasis on private property, freedom of contract, and merit-based achievement; in our respect for the rule of law; and in our commitment to affording equal justice to all. Perhaps above all, it is marked by our abiding belief that, as Americans, we have been called to a higher duty in human history. We are the "city upon a hill." We are "the last, best hope of earth."
(Here is where I disagree, because Jesus Christ is our best hope of earth, but I understand the statement. He goes on to say):
“Yet one thing is certain: If we stray too far from the lines laid down by the Founding Fathers and the generations of great American men and women who built on their legacy, we will cease to be "Americans" in any meaningful sense of the word. As Abraham Lincoln warned during the secession era, "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." Today the danger is not armed rebellion, but the slow erasing of the American national character through a process of political and cultural redefinition. If this ever happens, it will be a terrible day for this country, and for the world.
With that America, I leave you to determine where you stand.
