I miss a lot of things about military life since my dad retired, but one of the things I especially miss is the 4th of July celebration on base. The 4th is and always will be one of my favorite holidays. I don't want to say I'm blindly patriotic, I try not to be blind, but I am very, sincerely patriotic. I love my country and the great variety of people and opinions that are contained within. And, of course, I have a huge soft spot for the military, which plays in to my patriotism. I think a healthy dose of patriotism (not a blinding amount), is, well, healthy. It's good for unity.
There are three AFB 4th of July celebrations that I remember particularly. Two in California, and one in Washington D.C.
The first was in California, and the memory is a 15 second snapshot. This was the first time I was in California. Or I think it was in California, I could be wrong. I was little. The sun had just set, and the night was beginning to cool. And there were so many people, all crowded into bleachers. I had this dark blue dress with American flags all over it and copious tacky sequins that made it shimmer gloriously. I was so proud.
The second was my first 4th of July celebration in D.C. just after we moved. I don't even think our stuff had arrived yet. I was ten years old. It was overcast and threatening to rain. But it must have been everybody on base that gathered to sit by the Potomac river to watch fireworks in a cloudy sky. We all had our camping chairs, and you could look out and see Reagan across the river and the Washington Monument and the faintish red suggestion of a firework in the clouds. And we were all together under the same sad sky and the same celebratory fireworks.
The third is back in California. The second year I lived there the second time? That makes me 12 or 13? The timeline I have in my head for the entirety of my life is extremely questionable. This was a grand celebration and I remember all of it. There was fair food, friendly faces, and a great water slide. Oh, and one of those Tilt-a-Whirls that I love (you have to shift your weight to make them spin faster)! There was a Tops in Blue performance with great music and classy outfit. I love when the National Anthem plays on a military base. Everything stops, just for a moment, and we listen. And it's quiet and proud and obligatory and voluntary and introspective and apathetic and together. Maybe because we are on a military base, and maybe because we are American citizens. Then the fireworks! and the music, all our patriotic tunes. My favorite is God Bless the USA. The desert sky is endless and filled with sparks.
I love the 4th of July because it's our greatest national holiday, and that means we all get to celebrate it together. And if you live here, then it has to mean something to you. That something could be good or bad, but I love that the something brings all of us together in some way, shape, or form. And I think a little patriotism will always bring us closer together, and maybe give us something to be patriotic about.
