Show thanks for freedom this Independence Day

Fireworks are nice, but this July 4th I'd like for everyone to take a moment away from the picnics and the water sports and the glittering displays and contemplate the reason behind the season.

It's one word, people--freedom.

We plaster this word on bumper stickers and politicians toss it about as a rallying cry, but to a group of rebels more than 200 years ago freedom was worth risking their lives. Freedom was more than a catch phrase to the Continental Congress as they were writing our Declaration of Independence, it was an ideal worth fighting for.

My high school government teacher taught me that our freedom in this country is guaranteed to all, but earned through the efforts of some. Our freedoms are protected every day by soldiers who stand guard. Soldiers, who primarily come from rural communities like yours and mine. They're our sons and daughters, our husbands and wives, our children and our neighbors. I would wager there's not one farmer or rancher in the High Plains who doesn't have a military connection of some sort.

So, this Fourth of July as you're harvesting wheat, or celebrating the birth of our nation, I want you to pause and say "thank you."

It doesn't have to be a grandiose gesture, but at some point I want you to find a veteran, or someone currently serving in the Armed Forces, and I want you to thank them for their service to our country.

Visit a retirement home and spend an afternoon with one of the rapidly vanishing World War II veterans. Listen to his or her stories, eat a meal with them in the dining room, or just play a game of gin rummy. If you live near a veteran's hospital, check with the personnel for their volunteer needs. Or, stop by a recovery ward and visit with a young soldier recuperating from his wounds far from his family. Sometimes, just having company can lift a person's spirits and give them the strength to go on.

Write a letter to a service person. Find a group creating care packages and volunteer your time or your resources. Better yet, create a group yourself and send local treats and cards of encouragement to the service men and women serving from your community.

If you live near a military or naval base, find ways to help the families left behind by those deployed. Volunteer your time, talents and resources to their fundraising or outreach efforts. See if your local 4-H club or FFA chapter can help military children and their families in some way. Become a mentor or classroom volunteer.

Teach your children and grandchildren the importance of showing respect for our flag, our customs and our freedoms. Show them by your example at the local 4th of July parade as you stand and take off your hats as Old Glory passes. Patriotism, no matter what the popular press may say, is not hokey.

Most importantly, sometime during this holiday, take a moment to use the rights guaranteed by our government. Write a letter to the editor, go to a church of your choice, and have a discussion around the dinner table about the politics of the day.

Why go to all this trouble? Why spend your holiday focused beyond the backyard BBQ and fireworks? Quite simply, if we don't take time to appreciate our freedoms, to express our gratitude to those who protect them, then we don't deserve them.

For more information on volunteer opportunities, please visit the U.S. Department of Defense's website, www.americasupportsyou.mil. This site has resources and ideas for how you and your family and neighbors can show your support for our troops. Also, please visit www.uso.org, the website for the USO, and www.fisherhouse.org, the site for Fisher House, an organization that offers housing for military families as they cope with the recovery of their wounded service member.

Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached by phone at 620-227-1807, or by e-mail at jlatzke@hpj.com.

7/2/07

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