FREEDOM'S CHILD

Freedom's Child, Emporia, KS

Freedom's Flag, Jamestown, NC

Reflections on Independence Day, 2019

I’ve had a lifelong affair with vehicles and it must be in my genes as my father managed a service station early in life before operating trains and my grandson loves any kind of train, plane or automobile.  I know that I’ve driven over a million miles so far and I still enjoy an early morning drive through Starbucks for coffee and the freedom of the open road.  I’ve had the joy of driving all sorts of vehicles from my first customized Ford Victoria in the 50’s, dump trucks and all varieties of family and rental cars to the ultimate driving machine.  Those early morning drives are free from worldly distractions and enable one to clear the mind and meditate on what’s important.

That freedom of the road and of my life was purchased by the sacrifice of countless patriots starting in 1776, including WWII which took the lives of two of my uncles.  They were plucked from a Kansas farm life and thrust into the most horrific experiences that anyone can imagine.  The Medic never returned home and the Seabee returned to a completely distorted life after jungle malaria and untold demons.  I remember my grandmother finding solace in the Gold Star Mothers meetings she religiously attended and we sold poppies on Veterans Day to help those who returned with injuries. 

I was born during the war and enjoyed fruits of the post war boom or Pax Romana, a period of relative peace and prosperity in which there is one dominant nation, America.  My cousins and friends all benefited from this bustling period when most of the first world countries were rebuilding and America was riding the crest of the men coming home to a robust economy.  We spent lazy, hazy, crazy, endless days of summer running free in the Heartland pastures and riding bikes on the city streets until sunset.  Denim blue jeans with rolled up cuffs and pure white T-shirts with the sleeves rolled up were the uniform of the day along with flat top haircuts and suntanned skin in stark contrast.  Rock ‘N Roll music with Elvis ruled the airwaves as WLS in Chicago during the day and Wolfman Jack from Del Rio, Texas at night beamed into our cars dragging the gut!

The adults of this era were scarred from the horrors of war and perhaps showed some restraint to the children that were spared the experience.  But now in retrospect, I understand and truly appreciate their sacrifice and courage.  I also understand that freedom is not free and is always just one generation from being lost.  I do not appreciate those today who take our freedoms so casually.  And when it comes to respect for our flag and all that it stands for in this great nation, I will not defend the right of those who denigrate it.