A Tough Question

I had a very enlightening conversation with on of my sales guys Thursday.  I love the time between 11:00 and 2:00.  It's when the guys come in from their days and we have a chance to sit around and chat while they do their paperwork, wait for rides, or just unwind after a long day.  And man do we have some interesting exchanges. Some funny as all get out, some business, you never know what will come up.

Now, everyone knows that I'm conservative in my politics.  I don't TALK about it, but come on....they're not stupid. Not by a long shot.  But we don't use labels like Democrat or Republican. And we never talk hard specifics.  Not to mention that everyone has a right to their opinion.  The one thing that is more than obvious is my love and respect for our military.  My office is decorated with mementos and reminders. 

Anyway, Thursday was an exceptionally long day for one of my guys, made longer because I insisted he go back and hit a store that was missed on Monday. I wanted to make sure he understood why I was so strong on that and, well, as usual our conversation evolved.  I forget how exactly it came up but I was telling about that incredible day I spent at the Pentagon, working with the children to make frames for their Moms and Dads to have when they deployed.  I still get chocked up when I think about it, and it's no surprise I got a little emotional.  He got very quiet for a moment and then asked me what has to be one of the toughest questions to answer I've ever been asked

"How did you get so patriotic?"

Seriously.  I was blindsided.  I didn't know what to say.  And THAT blindsided me even more.  How do I answer?  What DOES drive this love of country?

I sat there for a moment...just trying to gather my thoughts. Thoughts that were whirling in my mind.

I told him about my extended time in foreign countries. How it was so evident to me how lucky we are with our freedoms and liberties. How I've never taken them for granted since then.

I talked about how our Military, a volunteer Military, is the greatest in the world. The sacrifices made by the men and women who serve, and the strength of their families to support them. I was trying to come up with ONE THING, and it's not one thing. No....it's never been just one thing that makes me patriotic.

Then I got very quiet.  And I softly told him it became a driving force for me at the time of the embassy bombings. The bombings that took so many lives, including the life of my friend's husband.  How THAT is when I "met" Bin Laden.  That is when he became real to me.

And 9/11.  9/11 changed everything. No longer do I bite my tongue. No longer do I worry about offending anyone with my appreciation of being an American.

We. Are. Blessed. Thanks to the wisdom and fore thought of our founding fathers, we have been given a wonderful gift. A set of wonderful gifts. Liberty. Freedom of speech. The right to bear arms. The American dream......the chance to be more. The chance to make a better life.

I realized at that point that my passion had taken over.  I didn't apologize. I just stopped talking and smiled.

There was nothing else that I could say.  I do love my country. I do appreciate every man, woman and child who sacrifices for my freedom. And I will do everything in my power, including answering tough questions, to show that gratitude. To deserve that sacrifice.

But really. Think about it. How would YOU answer that question?  "How did YOU get so patriotic?"

Comments

[Lemon Stand]

Wow Tammi! What an incredibly powerful post! I don't think I could answer that question without a lot of memories bouncing around in my head and a truckload of tissue.

Thank you for posting this.

[Pam]

Geez, I got choked up just reading your post!

My answer... the first thing I thought of was how incredibly lucky we are to live in the greatest nation on earth... then of course the men and women of our military. All volunteer. All heart and the fortitude of saints, each and every one.

You're right; there's never just one -or three- answers to that question. As a little girl saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag I would tear up. I just *knew*. And I still do...

[AC]

You traveled, saw how the rest of the world lived. I traveled extensively by reading. I've read alot about WWII, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, stuff about life after the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, Red China ect.
I find the more someone has traveled, (staying at a resort doesn't count) or real historical/ current events knowledge, the more likely they are to thank God they were born or got here as soon as they could.

[Bou]

I guess my question would be... why is he not?

[Tammi]

Bou...he's learning. He's not been exposed to how wonderful our Military is. Or traveled. He's so very young. And I'll be honest, I hope, that thru hearing my stories....maybe his eyes will be opened.

[Peter]

It started 'way back when the first members of my family came over from the old country. They got off the boat and the antislavery people told them that they could go to Kansas and have land of their own, for free, all they had to do was be against slavery. And they were given tools and a rifle for each more or less grown up, the old Beecher's Bibles.

Land! Land of their own, with no Cosaacks riding through burning, lopping off heads and raping. Land! People who were not allowed to own land, who could be thrown off their little plots on the whim of some inbred "nobleman" could own land.

Then came the War Between The States and my great great grandfather took to the colors, went with Sam Grant through Fort Donelson to Vicksburg. Grant went east then, Granpap took the walking tour through Georgia and the Carolinas with Cump Sherman until they helped corner Bobbie Lee.

Fast forward a few wars and a great depression and we come to the bouncing baby boy, Peter. My family lost the land during the dust bowl and my mother ended up in an orphanage whenher father died young from complications of the gas warfare in WW1. Somehow she managed to make it out to California as an Okie, she didn't talk much about those days but when the war came along she was set, working for the Southern Pacific Rail Road. By the mid fifties she and my stepfather owned their own house and car, with enough money to where they could take vacations and have hobbies.

I got to travel some courtesy of my Uncle Samuel. Not everywhere he sent me had shooting going on. But everywhere I went had odd things going on. Women who were not druggies were prostituting themselves in order to eat and help feed their families. Working class people did not own homes.

I am patriotic because people have dignity here.

[Cappy]

It's simple. Dad was a holocaust survivor and WW2 Vet. Easy to contrast the shizz that was Europe vs. the Goodness htat is America. Also I object to having my head sawed off because of my nationality or religion.

[bx19]

How did I get so patriotic?
I was born in 1943.
My Dad was fighting in Germany.
I learned about the war when I was in school.
I also learned about WW1.
I was brought up to be patriotic, to honour the sacrifices made by our brave soldiers, sailors and airmen.
Too many gave their lives to make this a free country.
Then, along came the politicians!
They have done what Hitler couldn't do!
We are a tiny island ruled by Brussels.
But I still love my country, and will continue to do all that I can to keep this Island British!

[_Jon]

I am patriotic because of the way of life this nation offers. It is unique in the world and unique in the history of humanity.

I love this way of life because it is defined in documents and ruled by law. It is neither arbitrary nor capricious. It is not changed on the whim of man nor random in its application.

I am not patriotic because of the land or the people - those are extras.

I am patriotic because this way of life requires strong citizens. Living free is a difficult way of life and a resilient society. It is not easy to let people speak and act in ways when we do not agree. As a people, we allow what we do not like because that is our way of life. It takes generations to learn to be this free.

I am patriotic because here I have freedom of choice. This is the greatest freedom a person can have. It is also the only freedom that matters. This is the freedom that is unique to our nation.

The patriotism stems from appreciating these freedoms and the willingness to be strong enough to see them enjoyed by others.

...

On a spiritual level, this freedom most closely matches the freedom that was given my soul when I was created. This freedom of choice in the human life is the closest I can be to the freedom of choice that my soul enjoys in every moment.

Through the freedom of my soul, I chose the freedom of a life in this nation.

[stacy lee]

I'm missing your almost daily post. Hope all is well.