What does being an American mean to me?

Being an American to me means being free. It means having more security, freedom and liberty than any other nation in the world. Being an American means defending and supporting America. It means pledging allegiance to the United States of America and the Republic for which it stands.

I am so proud to be an American that I joined the military. I joined the Army National Guard because I believe there is more to being a citizen than just raising a flag or wearing flag printed shirts.

Let me just tell you why I love America.

It’s the land of opportunity. America offers more opportunity and social mobility than any other country. America has achieved greater social equality than any other society. I’m aware we are not 100% equal but we do have a start. We are improving each and every day–that’s more than any other country.  Something that is my personal favorite about America is that the destiny of the young is not given to them, but created by them. We, as kids and young adults, get to make our own future.  We aren’t told that females have to stay home with the kids or that the males have to go work on the farm. We get to make our own decisions and set our own future. That’s huge! Not a lot of countries are like that. Here in America you can also practice your religion freely. Whether you are Catholic, Atheist, or Buddhist, it doesn’t matter because it is your personal preference, it’s what you want, what you believe. The military is another thing that America does better than most countries. It is the most advanced military in the world, and we are willing to use it to help other people and other countries as well as our own.

I have so much pride in serving this country. I love America and everything this country has to offer. What is there not to love? Are we perfect? Absolutely not. But we are improving. We don’t back down from a fight, we give people opportunities other countries only dream of, and let’s not forget about the equality we are creating (it’s not 100% yet, but we’re closer than any other country). What’s not to be proud of?

Being an American is being free and being proud. Being able to stand up for what you believe. Being an American is not only wearing a flag printed shirts and short shorts, it’s being you and speaking freely.

That is what being an American means to me.