Happy Birthday America /Because of The Brave

Happy Birthday America.
For two hundred thirty-seven years you have survived.
There has been bloodshed.
There has been heartache.
There has been victory, prosperity.
There have been times of hardship, and times of harvests of plenty.


In 1776,  the Declaration of Independence was introduced, and with it, the knowledge and foresight of the high cost of freedom.

Happy Birthday America.
So many didn't think you'd make it.
Some still think you won't.
There are those who love you and will stand for you, and die for you.
There are those who hate what you stand for and try to tear you apart from the inside out.

Happy Birthday America.
Yes.
You are the land I love.
You are the land that so many have sacrificed for,
willing to come from foreign lands to grace your soil,
-willing to fight for it.
-willing to die for freedom.

Happy Birthday America.
I believe in you.
Many have given their lives through history, believing in the Declaration of Independence, "..that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Happy Birthday America.
Today I celebrate with pride.
My son is part of the celebration.
Because of him, and men like him,
we can freely raise our US flags, and understand what it means to be free.

It is not without sacrifice.
It is with determination and a belief in the foundation of this country.
It is with perseverance and the integrity of honest men and women that we remain who we are today.

When I see the American flag, it brings hope, and gratitude to my heart.
My son died for the red, white and blue.
His life, his death - and of those before and after him will always
be engrafted in the colors of freedom.
That, is what I see when I see American flags in our neighborhoods.
That is what I see when I see flags in our business districts and windows.
That is what this mother holds dear as she joins with others in our fine country today
to celebrate another birthday.

Happy Birthday and God Bless America.