JamesInFlorida
Senior Member
- Dec 18, 2010
- 1,501
- 186
- 48
Hey everyone, I thought about this earlier today, and I'm not totally sure where this thread belongs, and I figured eh why not here? Let's try and kept this from getting into mud-slinging and political. I think we're all Americans who care about this great country, and at the end of the day wake up under the same great flag. So my question is simple, and I'm just interesting in the other stories from these message boards. What's the one moment in your life you were proudest to be an American. This isn't meant to be a competition, we're all proud of this county. It can be anything.
I'll start:
For me my grandfather passed away last year. He was a WW2, Korea, and Vietnam vet, retired from the Air Force (it was the Air Force by the time he retired), as a maj. So he chose to be in Arlington National Cemetary along with my grandmother who passed away in the 90's. I was in a pretty dark place, as I was very close with him and wondered to myself, I know a lot of people support the troops, but will Americans really appreciate all my grandfather did for this country-on an individual level? Or will it be a flippant attitude? I wasn't really sure.
So fast forward to the ceremony (lack of a better word), I was in the motorcade a couple cars back from the riderless horse, and as we passed the tourist areas of the cemetary where people were (Lee House), I was blown away by what I saw. It was peak tourist hours, right in the afternoon, on a beautiful summer day. People, strangers who never met my grandfather, didn't have a clue who he was-whether he died in Afghanistan/Iraq, or was the 86 year old who devoted his life to the nation he loved. Had no idea what his political beliefs were-would they consider him stupid for them-or smart if they did? People who wouldn't know him from any other individual walking down the street.
Every single person we passed stood at attention, and many saluted either traditionally, or with their heart over their heart (how civilians are supposed to). None of them said a word to one another the whole time the buggy passed them. Not a sole took a picture, or acted like it was something cool they were seeing. These strangers were showing tons of respect for a man who was my personal hero-and I realized that in their eyes he was also a hero to them. It was a ray of sunshine in an otherwise very dark time for me personally, and it gave me real hope in this country. Americans from all walks of life coming together just to show a small sign of respect. They may have thought it wasn't a big deal-but it meant everything to me. I felt an intense feeling of pride like never before-not because of my grandfather, but because I got my answer to my question. I'll never forget the sight of all those people for as long as I live.
Anyways, enough of me rambling, sorry for the long and dragged out post haha. So let's hear your stories (personal or not). I'd love to see what other people's answers will be. There is no one-upping somebody
I'll start:
For me my grandfather passed away last year. He was a WW2, Korea, and Vietnam vet, retired from the Air Force (it was the Air Force by the time he retired), as a maj. So he chose to be in Arlington National Cemetary along with my grandmother who passed away in the 90's. I was in a pretty dark place, as I was very close with him and wondered to myself, I know a lot of people support the troops, but will Americans really appreciate all my grandfather did for this country-on an individual level? Or will it be a flippant attitude? I wasn't really sure.
So fast forward to the ceremony (lack of a better word), I was in the motorcade a couple cars back from the riderless horse, and as we passed the tourist areas of the cemetary where people were (Lee House), I was blown away by what I saw. It was peak tourist hours, right in the afternoon, on a beautiful summer day. People, strangers who never met my grandfather, didn't have a clue who he was-whether he died in Afghanistan/Iraq, or was the 86 year old who devoted his life to the nation he loved. Had no idea what his political beliefs were-would they consider him stupid for them-or smart if they did? People who wouldn't know him from any other individual walking down the street.
Every single person we passed stood at attention, and many saluted either traditionally, or with their heart over their heart (how civilians are supposed to). None of them said a word to one another the whole time the buggy passed them. Not a sole took a picture, or acted like it was something cool they were seeing. These strangers were showing tons of respect for a man who was my personal hero-and I realized that in their eyes he was also a hero to them. It was a ray of sunshine in an otherwise very dark time for me personally, and it gave me real hope in this country. Americans from all walks of life coming together just to show a small sign of respect. They may have thought it wasn't a big deal-but it meant everything to me. I felt an intense feeling of pride like never before-not because of my grandfather, but because I got my answer to my question. I'll never forget the sight of all those people for as long as I live.
Anyways, enough of me rambling, sorry for the long and dragged out post haha. So let's hear your stories (personal or not). I'd love to see what other people's answers will be. There is no one-upping somebody
