Patriotism: A lost value in today's society

When I was growing up as a child, there were two things constantly preached to me, respecting your elders, and patriotism. The three pictures, I chose to put on my blog page, all define what patriotism means to me. In the first picture above is Pat Tillman, an American football player, that passed up on a 3.6 million dollar contract, to serve his country after the terrorist attacks of 911. Second you have Ronald Reagan, our 40th president of the United States. President Reagan lead America through the fall of the Berlin Wall, and ended talks of war with the Soviet Union, therefore ending the Cold War and the threat of nuclear warfare. Last but not least, my favorite TV show growing up as a kid, "The A-Team ". For those of you that do not know about the A-Team, it was a group of retired special forces soldiers, that helped people throughout the country, if you were being bullied by corrupt government, or local law enforcement, you called the A-Team. I understand the A-Team is a group of made up people, but they symbolized helping people, and standing up for what is right. Viewed as misfits to outsiders, to the common man, they were considered heroes!

The three icons above have been chosen, because I believe they stand for what is right, and show true patriotism when it comes to living in a free country. In today's world so many people take for granted, how lucky they truly are, to live in a free country. Could you imagine living in a country, where you can't choose your own religious beliefs, what type of clothes you want to where, or the music you want to listen to. Freedom is about the simple things in life, not about fancy cars, or how much money you make, it's about enjoying simple things, like going to church, taking a walk, or seeing a movie with friends and family.

Our children are brought up to idolize icons, such as Tiger Woods, Lebron James, Derek Jeter. I'm not saying these three individuals aren't great people, but do you think they would pass up money in order to serve for their country? Pat Tillman could be sitting at home today, swimming in his pool, relaxing in his million dollar home, but he chose to serve his country, and give up everything he worked for, paying the ultimate debt to his country, by giving his life for freedom. When I think about Pat Tillman, I wonder what kind of man gives up such an easy life, to serve his country in time of war. So for that reason, I chose Pat Tillman as my #1 icon, for doing what is right, and showing this great nation, it's not always about making millions of dollars, but doing the right thing, in order to preserve freedom.