07/03/2026
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
“My country ‘tis of Thee
Sweet land of liberty
Of thee I sing
Land where my fathers died
Land of the pilgrim’s pride
From every mountainside
Let freedom ring
Our fathers’ God to thee,
Author of liberty,
To thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedom’s holy light;
Protect us by thy might,
Great God our King”
I was brought up in the Midwest of the US of A, singing and speaking those words. And I was raised by two of the most patriotic people I’ve ever known. My parents were the first people to teach me about valuing freedom and everything else our country stood for. It’s what I treasure and who I am.
I’m not a republican, nor am I a democrat. If you must know, I’m an independent, who just happens to be a traditionalist and a history buff. I hail from an impressive lineage that has been here since the first settlers. I can trace my family back to a ship that sailed from England following the Mayflower. My great aunts were members of the Daughters of the American Revolution. My great grandparents fought in the Civil War with the Yanks, in World War I, World War II, Korean and Vietnam wars. Many of them were war heroes, and recipients of purple hearts, among other medals. My great uncle fought under Patton and another under Eisenhower. My family survived Pearl Harbor, D-Day, and Battle of the Bulge as well as Guadalcanal, kamikaze’s in the Philippines, and the Battle of Okinawa.
Meanwhile, the war at home was going strong with my grandmother‘s help as a Rosie the Riveter and my grandfather‘s engineering skills he learned at Northwestern were put to use designing aircraft for the war effort.
Throughout my lifetime, I heard all the stories of loss and victories, whether it was on the battlefield, or back home. But what I never heard - not once - was disloyalty to the flag. That’s not to say there weren’t any protestors in my family. One of my grandfather’s led a veteran’s march to Washington DC after the war and met with President Truman.  My beloved mother used to pen countless letters to the Chicago newspapers politically protesting and many were published. That’s what’s great about this country. We are free to express ourselves, as long as we are respectful, law-abiding citizens.
So you see, I come from a very long line of patriots and I’m very proud of that! This years Fourth of July celebration, celebrating 250 years of our country’s greatness, is very special, indeed. It gives me pause to think about everything that’s happened and all that Americans have achieved in that time. And the flag, of course, is our best and most beautiful symbol of this country’s greatness. We are so fortunate to live in this country. America is the greatest country in the history of the world because of the people who made it so. But, when I see in the news someone setting fire to our beautiful flag, the anger inside of me rises quickly because I know how my family fought and almost lost their lives in the name of freedom only to have some gigantic moron come along and do such a criminal act. We are not a perfect nation, but we are a nation of laws, laws that got us to where we are today - the strongest country in the world, a place where everyone wants to live.
For me and for many others, this is a very special birthday for our nation. I probably won’t be around to celebrate the next big one - 300 years - thus, my wish going forward for our nation is that we keep our Republic strong. I want my grandson to grow up with the same beautiful values and enjoy the same special American traditions that I did. I want him to pass along the stories that were passed down to me about family heroes and how hard they fought for their freedom and for everyone else’s. And above all, I want him to respect the framework our constitution put forward 250 years ago for making our laws. I want him to always stand up for his country and be a patriot and make that promise to our flag from his heart and soul to always remember, most importantly, that we are a nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. God bless America!🇺🇸
Kerry J. McGehee Photography
