God Bless the U.S.A.

We've added one more thing to our new home and it may be my favorite to date. We placed the  American flag in our front yard and it is beautiful. There is something very special about this flag and what it stands for. On a minimal level it represents a great country. To a deeper degree it symbolizes the story and events that shaped our nation; along with the values and ideals that make America...America. 
Most importantly to me, I see the history and dedication of the people who have come before me who have fought for the freedoms I have today. I don't take that lightly. I am, and will be, forever grateful to those who fight for the United States of America and allow me the privilege to celebrate in a free and democratic nation.

Over the next several days there will be numerous pictures of the American flag displayed on television and social media along with the sounds of fireworks in each of our neighborhoods. There will be neighborhoods lined with the colors of our nation. What a proud time for us all....  

President Woodrow Wilson, 1917

This flag, which we honor and under which we serve, is the emblem of our unity, our power, our thought and purpose as a nation. It has no other character than that which we give it from generation to generation. The choices are ours. It floats in majestic silence above the hosts that execute those choices, whether in peace or in war. And yet, though silent, it speaks to us — speaks to us of the past, or the men and women who went before us, and of the records they wrote upon it.