My cousin, Mike, sent me a wmv video clip of an amazing woman that so moved me, I wanted to learn more about her. Here are a few things I gleaned about this wonderful American; it’s my Patriot’s Journey post for today.

Kaziah Hancock is a professional artist from Manti, Utah, who now devotes all of her work to painting portraits, for free, of U.S. military personnel killed in the Middle East. She’s also founded Project Compassion, a non-profit organization comprised of a group of very special artists who share her goal.

A December 2006 American Forces Press Services article provides more information about Kaziah, Project Compassion and how you can help. Meanwhile, watch this moving video of Kaziah explaining why she does what she does.

Don’t forget to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers… JimK, Scott, Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.

One of the many wonderful things I love about America is baseball. And despite the popularity in this country of gridiron football and basketball, also American-bred sports, it’s still the game that most Americans recognize as their “national pastime.”

While we don’t have a major league team in Sacramento, we are blessed to host a fine triple-A team, the Sacramento River Cats. We can go out to Raley Field during the summer, enjoy hotdogs, peanuts, beer - even “salmon tacos” - and watch some great Pacific League baseball. And if that doesn’t give us our fill, an hour and a half away are the Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants.

I snapped this image from our seats at Raley Field during one of our family outings. It’s a great venue and fun for the whole family. It’s no wonder it’s America’s “national pastime.”

For an extensive history of baseball, jump over to this site. And remember to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers… JimK, Scott, Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.

Several years ago I was fortunate enough to attend a lecture by Peter W. Schramm on what it means to be an American. I remember being deeply moved by his words and his vision of the world, and I’ve never forgotten the experience. Here, in an essay that may seem lengthy in terms of Internet reading, is more on what Professor Schramm sees as the genesis of being an American.

My mother tells me, though I don’t remember saying this, that I told my father I would follow him to hell if he asked it of me. Fortunately for my eager spirit, hell was exactly what we were trying to escape and the opposite of what my father sought.

 

“But where are we going?” I asked.

“We are going to America,” my father said.

“Why America?” I prodded.

“Because, son. We were born Americans, but in the wrong place,” he replied.

I encourage you to take the time - make the time - to read it in its entirety.

Remember to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers… JimK, Scott, Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.

We live in a great, wonderful country filled with hope, freedom, respect for others and for the rule of law, and offering a system of self government that assures that these virtues will remain for our grandchildren and for their grandchildren. We relish diversity, not for diversity’s sake but because we learn from it as it assimilates into our American culture. And we’re a proud, noble people willing to fight any foe that might challenge our freedoms and way of life.

John F. Kennedy once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” He couldn’t have imagined that his words would still resonate after four decades. The brave men and women of our armed forces are today fighting to protect the very freedoms we too often take for granted. I think he would be proud.

But this war, the war against terror, is unlike any we’ve fought before. We’re still fighting for our basic freedoms and for democracy, but we’re at war with an evil, fanatical ideology that seeks to conquer and dominate the very underpinnings of our free society. Our enemy doesn’t wear distinctive uniforms and so they are all but impossible to recognize until they fire on us. Yet we’re engaging them on their own turf in a noble effort to spoil their goal of world domination and, perhaps idealistically, provide them an alternative form of government since, clearly, theirs hasn’t worked after thousands of years.

And we’re fighting for independence, our own and for others who seek it. Sure, we argue contentiously amongst ourselves over the cost of resources in both human and economic terms, but we all want what’s best for all concerned. We may not always agree on the best approach, but our beliefs are anchored in moral judgement, in doing what’s right, and from that we never waver. It’s one of the great things about Americans and our form of democratic self government.

My father was a B-29 pilot during WWII and part of what many call “the greatest generation,” willing and eager to defend our freedoms and those of our allies. He taught me and my brothers to respect our flag and our National Anthem, that they are symbolic of the men and women who have fought and died for our country and our way of life. I am immensely proud of his steadfast patriotism.

So when I hear our National Anthem and see our flag pass during a parade, I often think of him. I stand, cover my heart and salute just as he taught me. At 86, he’s still a devoutly proud American…and because of him, so am I.

Remember to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers… JimK, Scott, Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.

Another thing great about America is our apple pie. It’s what our country and flag are “as American as”, right? Since the earliest colonial days, apple pies have been enjoyed in America for breakfast, as an entrée and for dinner. Colonists wrote home about them and foreign visitors noted apple pie as one of our first culinary specialties.

We’ve all heard or used the expression, “As American as apple pie” to refer to things we know to have originated in America or otherwise associate with Americana. So you might be surprised to learn that apple pie may not have actually been invented here, at least according to Wikipedia and a few other sources that point out that apple trees weren’t indigenous to the colonies and had to be imported as saplings, and that Europeans made all sorts of pies before the colonies were even established.

“We may have taken (apple pie) to our hearts, but it is neither our invention nor even indigenous to our country. In fact, the apple pie predates our country’s settlement by hundreds of years,” writes Lee Edwards Benning in Cook’s Tales.

Yet there are American apple-pie recipes, both manuscript and printed, from the eighteenth century, and it has since become a very popular dessert. And if the food-loving Pennsylvania Dutch people didn’t invent apple pie, they certainly perfected it. Evan Jones in American Food, The Gastronomic Story writes:

“Some social chroniclers seem convinced that fruit pies, as Americans now know them, were invented by the Pennsylvania Dutch. Potters in the southeastern counties of the state were making pie plates in the early eighteenth century, and cooks had begun to envelop with crisp crusts every fruit that grew in the region. ‘It may be,’ Frederick Klees asserts, ‘that, during the Revolution, men from the other colonies came to know this dish in Pennsylvania and carried this knowledge back home to establish apple and other fruit pies as the great American dessert.’”

Personally, I stand with Jones. Europeans may have invented something they called apple pie, but I’d wager that the colonists, particularly the Pennsylvania Dutch, reinvented whatever it was and made it as American as, well, apple pie! And whenever I enjoy a slice of warmed Dutch apple, usually with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top, I heartily thank those early Dutch settlers!

I guess what I’m saying, in a somewhat roundabout way, is that I’m really proud of America and her wonderful all American apple pie. So the next time you refer to the cotton gin, the telephone, jazz, the iPod or any of the myriad things we Americans have invented throughout our short history, go ahead and say, with well deserved pride, that they’re “as American as apple pie” because, after all, they really are.

Check out the patriots taking this journey with me: JimK, Scott, Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.

One thing you have to love about America is our western movies. To me they’re pure Americana, especially if they starred John Wayne. What makes the Duke special? Well, my father was a big Wayne fan and, thanks to these two men, I fell in love with film, especially the western. It’s a love that remains strong to this day.

Western movies were, for me,  an uncharted land filled with danger and excitement. They represented a place where a man lived by his own rules, where, to quote Wayne, “There’s right and there’s wrong. You got to do one or the other. You do the one and you’re living. You do the other and you may be walking around, but you’re dead as a beaver hat.” The westerns I watched growing up were always centered around morality and I believe they helped shape my views on right and wrong.

Of course, Wayne didn’t just star in westerns. I watched him kill half of the Japanese army, wrestle a giant octopus not once, but twice (okay, one was a squid), get lost in the desert with Sophia Loren, put out oil fires and catch animals in Africa. But the westerns were my favorites. John Ford’s cavalry trilogy, Howard Hawks’ Rio Bravo and El Dorado, his Oscar winning turn in True Grit and, of course, The Shootist and The Cowboys were some of my more recent favorites. But I think my all time favorite Wayne western was The Searchers.

But film wasn’t my only exposure to westerns. My dad and I watched all the TV westerns during their heyday. Hondo, Have Gun Will Travel, Sugerfoot, Cheyenne, Bronco, Wanted Dead or Alive, Trackdown, Lawman, The Rifleman, Maverick, Tales of Wells Fargo, Death Valley Days, and, of course, Gunsmoke were regular events at our house. And before them (although my dad seldom watched them with me) were Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, The Lone Ranger, and The Cisco Kid. In all of them, the underlying message was one of basic, cowboy morality, doing what’s right ‘cause it’s right.

Many of my most vivid memories of growing up are shared film or TV experiences with my father. Even now, when I watch a modern western like Open Range, I find myself thinking, “Dad would have enjoyed this.”

Yes, the western movie is as American as, well, apple pie. But that’ll be another post during this journey.

Remember to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers… JimK, Scott, Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.

Project Vote Smart calls itself “The Voter’s Self-Defense System.” On its site, every candidate and elected official from President to local government can be easily and instantly accessed for:

• Voting Records — Compare what your representatives said during the campaign with how they actually voted on the record.

• Biographical & Contact Information — From their previous professions, education, families, organizational membership to their latest e-mail address, we gather it all.

• Issue Positions (NPAT) — We test thousands of candidates for President, Congress, Governor and State Legislature with our National Political Awareness Test (NPAT). The test accurately measures a candidate’s willingness to provide voters with their positions on the issues they will most likely face if elected to represent you.

• Interest Group Ratings — Over 150 competing special interest groups, from conservative to liberal, evaluate your representatives. Look at what they say.

• Public Statements — The Project constantly collects speeches and public comments of the president, governors, and congressional representatives. Just type in a word, say; ‘immigration’ and all public utterances containing the word ‘immigration’ will appear. Compare what they said while campaigning in California a few years ago to what they are saying now in New Hampshire.

• Campaign Finances — How much money did your representatives raise and from whom? Just follow the money and then follow the votes.

This is a valuable tool, especially considering the number of candidates running or considering running for their party’s Presidential nomination, and will become even more so once the race heats up. Check regularly to keep up on what the candidates actually say compared to what their opponents claim they say. Be an educated, informed voter, not a follower who votes according to what someone else tells them. This site will help.

Do you think other countries offer citizens such a storehouse of information to aid their intelligent voting decisions? Hardly. It’s yet another thing that goes in America’s “Good” column.

Remember to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers… JimK, Scott, Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress approved the design of a national flag - the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory.  Here’s a very condensed history of why we celebrate our flag today:

Since 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14, Americans have commemorated the adoption of the Stars and Stripes by celebrating June 14 as Flag Day. Prior to 1916, many localities and a few states had been celebrating the day for years. Congressional legislation designating that date as the national Flag Day was signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1949; the legislation also called upon the president to issue a flag day proclamation every year.

According to legend, in 1776, George Washington commissioned Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross to create a flag for the new nation. Scholars debate this legend, but agree that Mrs. Ross most likely knew Washington and sewed flags. To date, there have been twenty-seven official versions of the flag, but the arrangement of the stars varied according to the flag-makers’ preferences until 1912 when President Taft standardized the then-new flag’s forty-eight stars into six rows of eight. The forty-nine-star flag (1959-60), as well as the fifty-star flag, also have standardized star patterns. The current version of the flag dates to July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became the fiftieth state on August 21, 1959.

On Flag Day and during Flag Week we celebrate and show respect for our flag and the people who designed and created it. Our flag represents our independence as Americans and our unity as a nation - we fly it proudly. We’re proud of our nation, our culture, our people and the flag that represents them.

Take a look on the American Memory: Library of Congress site under American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1940, and search “Flag Day”.  You’ll find, among other things, this entertaining exchange between two gentlemen that is today as indicative of how we Americans feel about our flag as it was then:

“Why ain’t you got your flag out?” says Mr. Richmond, entering the gas station in which he spends much of his time these days. “You know today is flag day, don’t you?”

“I guess the boss forgot to buy a flag, George,” says Mr. Davis, the station attendant. “And even if we had one, we ain’t got no place to put it.”

Mr. Richmond: “That’s a fine state of affairs, that is. Here they are tryin’ to bring home to you people the fact that you’re livin’ in one of the few countries where you can draw a free breath and you don’t even know it. You’re supposed to have flags out all this week. Don’t you know that? This is Flag Day and this is Flag Week. Where’s your patriotism?”

Mr. Davis: “What the hell are you hollerin’ about, George? You’re always runnin’ the country down. They can’t do anything to suit you. You’re worryin’ about taxes and future generations and all like that. Where’s your patriotism?”

Mr. Richmond: “Well, that’s different. A man got a right to criticize. That’s free speech. Don’t mean I ain’t patriotic. …”

Remember to fly Old Glory today and the rest of the week. Take a few minutes to reflect upon its proud history and what it symbolizes. It’s a grand old flag and it stands for all that is America.

Check out the other Patriotic Journeyers… JimK, Scott,  Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.

There are countless things we can place in America’s “Good” column, notwithstanding that a few things rightly fall in our “Not So Good” column as well. For instance, America creates most of the new pharmaceuticals for all that ails the world. Sure, we complain about the high cost of drugs, but we recognize that drug companies spend billions in R&D in order to create them and rightly need to recover those costs.

And let’s not forget that America put all - 100 per cent - of the men on the moon. Our unquenchable thirst for knowledge drives our indomitable desire to explore the unknown.

America invented the Internet, making it possible for people to spread their wisdom (and stupidity) to a wider audience at greater speed than ever before. No, it wasn’t Al Gore, but it was  American ingenuity.

Although we’re experiencing some growing pains with respect to illegal immigration, America still peacefully accepts more legal immigrants than any other country in the world.

And we have the longest standing constitution of any government, providing the strongest protection for individual liberty, of any nation in the world. That’s an amazing thing! Sure, organizations like the ACLU try to erode it, but our constitution has held up better than any other in history.

America props up much of the world’s economy through its massive foreign trade deficit, stable dollar, leadership of the G7+1, advocacy for free trade and funding of the IMF. That’s no small feat.

Let’s remember, too, that America has stopped all - 100 per cent - of the major wars the world has known in the last 100 years. Think about that for a minute. And we prevent or stop smaller wars across the globe in a way that no other country or international organization (think EU or the UN) can even contemplate. Who really stopped the invasion of South Korea? Or brought the killing in the Balkans to an end? Or keeps the lid on the Middle East?

And most importantly, America has the self-control, self-confidence, and morality to not use its global hyper-superpower to annex land and resources simply because it can. That’s never been nor will it ever be the American way.

Yes, our “Good” column is long and distinguished, and we continue to work on those things that land in our “Not So Good” column. It’s part of what has made America strong throughout our short history and why we will remain the greatest nation on earth. God bless the USA!

Remember to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers… JimK, Scott,  Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.

Since the early days of the republic, Americans have recognized Thomas Jefferson’s distinctive role in helping to shape the American national character. As Founder and statesman, Jefferson thought broadly about the virtues Americans would need to cultivate in order to preserve and perfect their experiment in republican self-government.

He and the Founders of our country understood the importance of good citizenship, and they understood what made someone a good citizen. To be a good citizen is to embody certain virtues, such as self-reliance, responsibility, honesty, charity, loyalty, and respect for the law.

These virtues are the strength of our nation and are necessary for our experiment in self-government. As President Bush has said, “When this spirit of citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it. When this spirit is present, no wrong can stand against it.”

Modern times have tested these virtues — and the traditional notion of citizenship — but they are still there to be called upon every day. They enable us to meet tragic events in extraordinary times, and in ordinary times to take back responsibility for ourselves and for the problems in our communities: drugs, crime, a faltering education system, family breakdown, and a corrosive popular culture.

But tough circumstances provide opportunities to rise to the occasion. And that’s where I think we Americans shine. As John F. Kennedy said, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And somehow, despite political differences and difficult times, we always do. Oh, we may stray outside the lines in the pursuit, but our inherent desire to do what’s right always manages to keep us on course and moving forward.

It’s another reason I’m proud of America and our system, flaws and all, and why I’m optimistic about the future we’re building for our children and grandchildren. There are tough decisions to be made but I think, in the end, we’ll again proudly meet the challenge.

Don’t forget to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers… JimK, Scott,  Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.

This may be a stretch for a Patriot’s Journey post, but one of the things I love about America is our airshows. We have dozens of them annually that are within reasonable driving distance and many feature either the U.S. Navy Blue Angels or the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. There are no better airshows anywhere in the world! And whenever I see either of these precision flying teams perform, my heart beats faster and I’m reminded why I’m glad to be an American. You can’t watch the Thunderbirds and not agree!

That said, the second annual California Capital Airshow at Mather Field will run this weekend featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, Red Bull Air Force, Jim Varden, Greg Poe and many more. Local Aerobatics Champion Julie Clark will also perform. It promises to be a great show… If you can get in.

Last year’s show, featuring the Blue Angels, suffered a bit of a logistical snafu - planners so grossly underestimated attendance that Highway 50 was gridlocked for hours, parking was impossible, and many folks, including us, finally gave up in frustration.

Supposedly, planners have “solved” the problems and promise smoother sailing this year. Their  “plan” seems centered around encouraging attendees to ride buses and  the RT. Says RT Driver, “Imagine upwards of 50,000 people trying to exit at Mather Field Rd. over the few hours leading up to the show… Now imagine that you and your family are not among them!!” Hmmm… We’ll see.

With that in mind, we won’t be attending the show this year. Instead, we’ll be spending part of Saturday afternoon at a friend’s home near Mather so, if I’m lucky, I might get off a few shots of aircraft flying over their house… I’ll wait and see how the traffic situation plays out this weekend before deciding whether or not to give it a try next year.

But tomorrow afternoon Dawn and I will be sitting comfortably around a pool, sipping mojitos, enjoying the company of good friends and watching the show action right over our heads. Life is good! God bless America!

While contemplating my Patriot’s Journey post for today, I remembered reading some time ago a poem written by Robert Mitchum’s brother, John, that described the reasons he loved our great country. This morning I ran across the poem being recited by none other than John Wayne and decided to share it with those of you that may not have read or heard it until now. The poem is called America, Why I Love Her. Click on the image below and enjoy.

Be sure to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers… JimK, Scott, Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.

Today marks the 63rd anniversary of D-Day, an epic event in the history of our nation and the world. As the sons and daughters of democracy, we must remember this historic day and honor those brave liberators who defended freedom in Europe and around the world.  And we must resolve never to forget such hallowed words as Anzio, Nettuno, Salerno, Normandy. These names speak of the sacrifices of our parents and the freedom of their children and grandchildren.

Twenty three years ago, on the 40th anniversary of D-Day, President Reagan delivered a moving speech during the Normandy Invasion Ceremony at the Omaha Beach Memorial at Omaha Beach, France. I’ve linked to the entire speech, but here are a few of his words that remind us why we acknowledge D-Day and honor the brave soldiers who so valiantly stormed the beach that day.

“No speech can adequately portray their suffering, their sacrifice, their heroism. President Lincoln once reminded us that through their deeds, the dead of battle have spoken more eloquently for themselves than any of the living ever could. But we can only honor them by rededicating ourselves to the cause for which they gave a last full measure of devotion.

Today we do rededicate ourselves to that cause. And at this place of honor, we’re humbled by the realization of how much so many gave to the cause of freedom and to their fellow man.”

These champions climbed the cliffs, took the beaches, braved the machine gun nests, took out the gun batteries, did the unthinkable – the unimaginable. Their deeds that day define their valor and deserve our deepest gratitude and respect. They are the heroes we honor today.

Be sure to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers… JimK, Scott, Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.

Early June 1944, the beginning of the final phase of World War II in Europe. Most of the continent is held in the grip of Adolf Hitler’s occupying forces. German garrisons dot the French coast facing the English Channel. On the other side, a massive Allied buildup of men and machines of war has swollen in southern England. As a break in bad weather is finally forecast, the order is given to go on June 6. D-Day, the invasion of Normandy, has begun.

On June 6, 1944, the Allies invaded occupied France. Some 175,000 British, American, Canadian, French, Polish, Norwegian and other nationalities participated in the first 24 hours of the Normandy invasion. Here are 15 things, compiled by Don Sweeney for the Sacramento Bee, you may not know about D-Day:

1.  The “D” in D-Day doesn’t stand for anything - it’s just a designation for whichever day a military operation begins.

2.  D-Day planners used holiday postcards of Normandy to help fill in details.

3.  Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower gave the go-ahead for D-Day with the words, “OK, let’s go.”

4.  British Lt. Den Britherage, shot shortly after midnight while storming a machine-gun nest on Pegasus Bridge, was the first allied soldier killed by enemy fire on D-Day.

5.  100 of 355 glider pilots ferrying British troops to Normandy before the beach landings were killed or wounded.

6.  A dog used to listen for enemy movements required rescue when its parachute snagged on a tree.

7.  Midget subs, which surfaced near the coast to flash colored lights as beacons, guided the invasion fleet to Normandy.

8.  D-Day involved 4,126 landing craft.

9.  British and Canadian troops used tanks fitted with revolving flails to clear beach minefields.

10. German Gen. Erwin Rommel was the first to describe D-Day as “the longest day of the century.”

11. A Bible in the breast pocket saved the life of U.S. Staff Sgt. Lou Havard when it stopped a bullet.

12. All but 2 of the 29 amphibious tanks deployed by U.S. forces on D-Day sank.

13. Hollywood director John Ford led a camera crew on Omaha Beach filming newsreel footage.

14. More than 156,000 Allied troops landed at Normandy on D-Day. Total Allied casualties are estimated at 10,000 for the day, with 2500 dead. Total German casualties are not known, but estimates range from 4,000 to 9,000.

15. 27 war cemeteries hold the remains of more than 110,000 dead from both sides during the Battle of Normandy that followed D-Day.

Be sure to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers… JimK, Scott, Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.

“Proud to be an American” means different things to different people. Ask anyone and I’m sure they’ll provide a story that defines their patriotism.

Looking back, I guess I’ve always felt a sense of pride in being an American. From reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in grade school to standing as our flag passed during a parade, I’ve carried that sense of pride with me. And, as I’ve grown older, it’s grown deeper.

My father flew B-29s during WWII and I think I inherited some of my pride from him. He taught me the value of hard work and self reliance, the meaning of honor, and about love of country. I was proud of him and was honored to follow in his footsteps during the Viet Nam war. Military service further honed the love I felt for my country and I was proud to serve her.

After 9/11, I felt the national swell of pride as American flags flew from cars, storefronts and front porches. There were rallies every weekend and I attended many of them. The country was again united, proud Americans all.

And although there are fewer rallies and fewer flags adorning cars these days, I know that most of us are still proud Americans. Pride in America helped mold me into who I am today and I think I’m a better person because of it. I’m truly proud to be an American.

Be sure to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers… JimK, Scott, Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.