On July 4, 2026, America will celebrate its 250th birthday. Think about that folks. Most of us have been here less than 100 years.
Personally, I’m so proud to be called an American. My late wife, Jan, and I always have had a personal interest in the shaping of America. Jan’s relative, Robert Morris, signed the Declaration of Independence. He also lent the new government the money to outfit the Army for the Revolutionary War. My family has had someone proudly serve in the military from the Revolutionary War up through Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran.
What does all this mean to me? I am so thankful our forefathers had the foresight to write the Declaration of Independence and other documents that give us both the freedom and the right to vote regardless of race or religion. I am truly thankful and awed by the sacrifices that millions of men and women did to protect our freedoms. To those that made the ultimate sacrifice, I salute you and I pray for you every day.
This past Memorial Day, I drove through all parts of Naperville. I saw people protesting, kids playing at many of the parks and swimming at the Beach. The reason this made such an impression on me is because these people were enjoying themselves without fear of retaliation by some radical group. All you have to do is look at world news and realize how lucky we are to be living in America.
Do we have problems? Sure, but our forefathers put into place the means by which we can correct them. It’s not always easy, but through our state and national legislators those problems get corrected. Hey, we are only human. Mistakes happen.
I hope all citizens realize that America is a great country. We’ll continue to lead the world in all areas manufacturing, research and helping less fortunate countries.
I will apologize to no one that I am a proud American, forever thankful I had the opportunities that America gave me to be successful in life.
