This is my 77th Independence Day. It’s been a long time since 1776. 241 years. That means that I have been alive for nearly a third of our nation’s history. Not bad. I’m on my 14th President. That means I’ve been alive through 32% of all the President’s we have ever had. Some have been popular and some have been unpopular; some effective and some not so effective. There’s a difference. We have survived as a nation because of the value we place on our independence as a nation, that we have earned throughout our short history.
I’ve lived through World War II, the Korean ”War”, Viet Nam as a Marine Corps helicopter pilot, and the ongoing Middle East Conflicts. We’ve been involved in a series of smaller conflicts that could have escalated had it not been for our intervention. These include the Dominican Republic in 1965, The Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s, the 1980s intervention on a tiny island in the Caribbean, and others that many have forgotten about. We remain free because of our strength and our ideology.
As a species, our personal independence is a major goal. It is up to us to take responsibility for ourselves to make sure we remain independent longer, without having to rely on family or Government. We will retain our personal vitality and independence as individuals because of our personal strength and attitude toward life.
So here’s to Independence Day, 2017. May we continue to be independent as a Nation and may we insure our own personal independence as seniors by stressing the care and feeding of — ourselves.
Happy Fourth of July! Thank you for reading.