The Fourth of July: our nation's most celebrated day. It is a time to enjoy independence, freedom, and liberty with fireworks and delicious food.
Last night I discovered some unexpected ties that I have with America (besides the very obvious ones) and I would just like to briefly outline them. They are amazing. Truly.
It has always been a well known fact that my father is a member of the U.S. Air Force. However, what I did not know is that he is a lieutenant colonel, and in his younger days was chosen selectively out of thousands of applicants by this institution to attend medical school with the entire cost covered. This allowed my parents to stay debt free through all their schooling, as well as a rare opportunity to live in a foreign country. While in Norway, I also found, my dad worked for NATO, and was in charge of all medical care for the air force in that entire country, as well as the Vice President (Walter Mondale) when he came. He has been publicly honored in France, has dined in a palace with war veterans, and has flown all over the world administering aid in a KC-135.
Of course I had to squeeze all of this information out of him drop by drop, and with coaxing and added facts from my informatant... aka Mom.
The next astonishing fact came from my grandfather, who worked at Ft. Detrick in Maryland during WWII as a chemical engineer. That patriotic man is so loyal to his country, that to this day he will not reveal the top secret work that he did during the war. It is a mystery whose nature we can only nit-pick and guess, and from which I have been strictly forbidden to publicly muse.
I suppose this patriotism originates from my great grandfather, who was a prison guard in WWI. He was a given a gun-- with no bullets. While away, his wife and child died from the Spanish Flu epidemic and from his convalescence he was able to meet my great grandmother. His is a romantic tale of heartache, loss, and re-birth. Perhaps I should find out the details before I say any more. I tend to exaggerate my stories greatly.
It is through these family members that I can at last fully appreciate the close bond that I have with our nation's history. It's in my blood... so maybe it's not weird after all that I like politics!
Oh, and by the way, my mom is a Reagan Republican.
5 comments:
that is very cool, jos. and very exciting. it's it great to find things like that out? you've certainly got a family to be proud of.
Dude, you totally copied my name man!
I believe that was Lindsay's email before you got on here.
joslynn tells no lies. you see my friend, that had been my nickname since 2nd grade, due to my excess of useless fact i randomly and inapproprietly spouted out. and my e-mail address since the 4th grade. i tried to change my login, because i dont' like it being so close to yours. i'm working on it, buddy.
Our Family does have a lot of things to be proud of. Siting around on Sunday night and talking about our country really helped me to appreciate what we do have. I am VERY proud of what our father does and the sacrifice he offers for our country. Like he said, there are a lot worse ways to die than dying for your country.
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