I am sure that many Americans were excited to watch all the 250th Anniversary celebrations across this country on July 4th. Watching Sail 4th 2026 was particularly exciting for me as it brought back many memories of a nineteen-year-old cadet on an anchored training ship in New York Harbor watching tall ships from around the world sail down the parade route. It was quite spectacular to be so up close to all those ships.

 

Fifty years later, I was once again reminded of the incredible country in which we live. Two hundred and fifty years is a short time compared to many other countries. However, as a benefit, we do not carry the burden of centuries of monarchies or dictatorships. Our founding fathers, in their wisdom, made sure we as a nation did not fall into those forms of governance.

 

Without a doubt, our country’s governance and culture are flawed; so is anything created by human beings. This country is not perfect and each of us enjoys the freedom to speak out against what we believe needs to be changed. Not everyone has that opportunity; many take their life into their hands to do so.

 

Perfection is a fallacy, an illusion created in our own minds. Excellence, however, is obtainable if only for short periods of time. Our government, like this country, is constantly changing, evolving as people and technology push the changes. The United States looks and feels very differently than it did back in 1776, and I am grateful that it does. I personally would not enjoy living without the comforts or the security that exists today. I am also reminded of how hard these freedoms were won and the sacrifice of so many to achieve them.

 

I am very proud to be an American, regardless of the flaws that encompasses. I can’t think of any nationality I would rather be.