I Am An American

I am an American.
 
I have proudly worn the uniform of the United States Army in service to my country. I have slogged through jungles and endured scorching desert heat. I have bled for my country.

I have traveled the world and proudly declared my citizenship with my passport which is imprinted with the words “Unites States of America.”

I have looked with pride at the response of my countrymen and my government’s elected leaders at the rapid response to help those in need all over the globe.

I am an American.

I am proud of my country.

I only wish I could continue to say I am proud of my government’s leaders.

The sad truth is we are a government without true leaders.

Our leaders once had vision, compassion, daring and integrity. Our leaders once led us to become the most wealthy, productive nation on the planet. And, the most respected.

Today that respect has all but vanished. Our leaders have alienated our allies, squandered our wealth and reduced productivity to primarily the increasing of wealth for a few at the expense of majority.

Respect that was earned over decades has nearly vanished in less than a thousand days.

I am still an American.

I am still proud.

And, I still harbor hope we will again have men and women who will lead our great republic back to its place in history as a nation “of the people, for the people and by the people”. A nation that leads by example and not by the arrogance of power.