Memorial Day is the saddest American holiday, as we mourn those who died for our way-of-life.  Veteran’s Day is probably the second saddest holiday, as we remember those who could have died to save our way-of-life.  But, Independence Day is probably our happiest holiday, as we congratulate ourselves on having a way-of-life worth dying for.

Since it’s debut in 1984, no Independence Day would be complete without hearing that proud American Lee Greenwood perform his classic song God Bless the USA.  It used to make me want to wear my now-shrunken Army uniform.  But maybe, I’ve aged enough now to let younger people wear that uniform, and I hate that!  The young soldier inside me recoils from General Douglas MacArthur’s commencement comments at West Point when he said “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”

At least, this conflation of emotions does answer . . .  for me anyway . . . the annual question of whether our way-of-life is worth dying for, and the answer is . . .  Absolutely!