America

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

I do love America; Because of her qualities and in spite of her faults. She is beautiful to me and I stand awed before her majesty and humbled by her graciousness.

As strange as it may seem, I did not start this post intending for it to be anything other than a light hearted expose, but when I started writing tongue-in-cheek, mocking praises for this great country, I found I had none. So here I sit, like a man who has just realized how he really does love a girl. And he smiles, because, instead of being afraid, he is elated, amazed and suddenly unwilling to sacrifice another second without letting her know.

So I just want to take this moment not for my original post, but instead to say how happy I am to be alive where I am in this world. How lucky I am to be able to pursue that which I desire and how honored I am to be able to represent a little piece of the wonder that is connoted with the letters U.S.A.

I also want to thank all branches of the Armed Forces of the United States of America for their service and sacrifices.