Letter - Remember Fourth of July

Talk about it

To the editor:

As we gather with our families and communities during the Fourth of July holiday, let us not forget what the real celebration is about: During this time, more than 200 years ago, our forefathers gave the greatest and most cherished gift – freedom – to the 13 colonies that became the United States of America, the greatest nation in the world.

Americans have been standing up for the freedoms we hold dear for centuries; in our classrooms, our churches and the halls of our elected officials. One of the ultimate symbols of patriotism has been those men and women who stand on battlefields, both here and abroad, protecting with their lives the foundations of freedom and democracy and the human rights of all people.

While we display American flags, vote and remain involved in our government, and teach our children about the rights and responsibilities that come with being a citizen, we must also remember and show our appreciation to those American heroes who fill our history books and commit to protecting our freedom.

We enjoy freedom and independence every day when we take our children to school, choose where and how we worship, how and where we earn a living, vote in a Democratic election and read the varying opinions in our media.

We should take this time, around Independence Day, to remember that our independence that we enjoy every day was not free and I thank those who protected the “unalienable rights” of our “one nation, under God,” since that July 4 in 1776.

I salute our veterans and those who strived to keep us free as a society. It is now the responsibility of all of us in the current generations to stand with that same level of commitment to supporting freedom as a society and a nation!

Torrey Westrom,

State Representative

Elbow Lake, MN

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