In honor of Independence Day, and as a tribute to those who continue to protect our freedom, Marine wife and blogger Jessica Tuck agreed to write a guest post for me today! I am so appreciative of all of the men and women who are off fighting for the freedoms many of us fail to think about. I hope you enjoy these Independence Day thoughts from a Marine wife.
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The Declaration of Independence states in part that every human has the right to pursue happiness, live free, and enjoy certain liberties – liberties and freedoms that are not granted by any one government, that exist independent of national laws and federal regulations or of the whims of a king, as in long ago colonial America.
No longer do Americans have to fear a tyrannical ruler imposing unfair edicts or restricting the right and ability to pursue happiness.
In America we are free to pursue that happiness any way we see fit, so long as it doesn’t impede on anyone else’s right to do the same.
We can –
Be vegans
Ride motorcycles
Buy whatever car we can want and can afford
Train to fight MMA
Let our kids participate in any sport or activity we choose
We can go to college
We can go to work
We can buy a house
We can shop til we drop
We can volunteer to help others in their pursuit of happiness
We can criticize our government or we can rally to its defense
We can enjoy fireworks and a picnic
We can watch any movie we like
We can love whomever we want – straight or gay, black or white
We can blog about anything we want
Consider the restrictions totalitarian regimes place on its citizens, especially women. Girls can’t play sports, are only allowed into certain professions, aren’t allowed to drive, are ruled by first their father and then their husbands.
I am incredibly grateful to live in an era, in a country, in which my daughters are not limited in their choices for their futures. They’re the only ones who place limits on themselves – they can play sports and play with boys too! They can be doctors or dentists. They can be mommies or choose not to be mommies. They can fight in the military or join the Peace Corps. I often point out to them the cruelty under which most women live in other countries and to be grateful they live here and are Americans.
How has this promise of independence and liberty been secure for over 200 years? Our military.
The men and women who have donned an American uniform and left behind their lives, families, and personal freedoms to travel across the globe and ensure that any threat to freedom is quashed are the reason we still have independence to celebrate on the 4th of July.
Currently, there are thousands of troops deployed away from American soil on this Indepenence Day, and remarkably, they are all volunteers. Every one of them signed up to serve because they had the personal freedom to choose to or not. There is no conscription in our country, and therein lies the beauty of it – our freedom is protected by a force which voluntarily and freely sacrifices personal freedom to make sure we all get to continue enjoying it.
While celebrating this most American of holidays, please remember that the taste of the watermelon, the feel of the water sprinklers, and the music jamming from the backyard are all sweeter because there are men and women who are dirty and smelly, haven’t slept in days, tired, and hungry, eating the same meals day after day standing watch over us. The precious freedom and independence we hold dear is probably a little dearer to those who have endured an Independence Day away from home and missed out on our “official” celebrations.
I know as a Marine wife, raising three children while my husband is deployed (though he’s currently home), on the 4th of July I think about where he is and what he’s doing and whether he gets to lay down his weapon and unwind with his Marines and pretend for a little while that they’re just as free as we are back home – enjoying some barbecue, listening to music, throwing the Frisbee, and reveling in freedom and patriotism.
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