I'm proud to be an American, are you?

Patriotism has become something that you just don't see that much of anymore, which is a shame. It seems that it's no longer a popular thing to have pride in you country. People have forgotten that their rights came with a price. They have forgotten the men and women who have fought and died for over 230 years to protect and ensure those rights. Everyone just wants to criticize everything that this country does.....and look where that has gotten us! The country that I love has gotten farther and farther away from the principles it used to stand for and the pride of living in "the land of the free, and the home of the brave" has all but vanished from the public view. Sixty years ago we were welcoming soldiers home from the battlefield; openly showing our gratitude to them for what they had done for us. Now we have to run television commercials to try to encourage people just to shake a vets hand!!!! It's an outrage! I haven't forgotten what they have done. I haven't forgotten that my Grandfather fought in the Pacific during WWII. I haven't forgotten that he was on two different ships that were Kamikazed, causing one to sink. I haven't forgotten that until the day he died he wouldn't talk about the things he saw and did, or the nightmares he had almost every night! I haven't forgotten that my other Grandfather fought in Europe during WWII, along with his brothers. Or my Great-Grandfather who fought in WWI. If my dad wouldn't have been medically discharged from the Marines, he would have gone to Vietnam. I respect those men and women who fought for my freedom; I appreciate it. And it breaks my heart that those soldiers fighting and dieing today get no respect at all from the people of this great land. And make no mistake about it, this country is great; it always has been, and God willing it will continue to be. But that all hinges on a select group of people; the fighting forces of the United States of America. The people who get no respect or gratitude, but who deserve more than we could ever give them. Because your opinion of the politics of this country wouldn't amount to a hill of beans if you didn't have the right to have it and voice it. Those rights come with a price that someone has to pay; that's why we have soldiers. I'm proud to be an American, are you?