In honor of Veteran’s Day today I thought I’d post some thoughts on the privilege of being an American.  If you read my brief bio then you know I’m not American by birth. I’m a naturalized citizen.  Simply put, I chose to become a citizen of the United States of America.  Samoan by birth, American by choice, proud to be both!

Why did I want to be an American citizen?  To be honest, I was like most everyone else – I wanted a better life for myself and my family.  I wanted the same opportunity that has drawn people here from all over the world since the early days of this country.  I wanted a piece of the American dream, a chance to make something of myself through education and hard work.

There was something deeper that made me want to be an American. I admired (and still do) what America stands for.  For me America means freedom and equality.  It stands for possibilities. In America it’s possible to ___________ (you fill in the blank with whatever it is that you dream of doing or becoming).

Let’s face it, we know that there are periods and events in our history as a country that we wished hadn’t happened, times when America did not live up to its promise.  Even today, there are times (and undoubtedly there will be more times) when America does not live up to its name.  America, I’ve learned is not perfect.

However, even with all of its flaws there is no other country like America.  As far as I’m concerned, America is still the closest we’ll come to an “ideal” country or form of government.  The rights and freedoms that the men and women of our armed forces fight to protect and guarantee makes me cherish my citizenship.  On this Veteran’s Day, I’m also reminded me that being an American citizen is a gift and a responsibility.  I have a responsibility to be the best citizen I can be because the privileges I enjoy is made possible through the sacrifice of others.

America is still “the” country where fortunes can be made seemingly overnight and where a “regular Joe” can go from rags to riches through hard work, good timing and a little bit of luck.  Generally speaking,  Americans are go-getters, hard working, independent, daring, and proud.  Some might even say Americans are arrogant and they would be right to a certain extent.  What they might not see is that the arrogance is tempered with deep and sincere caring for the condition of their fellow citizens of this world.  Americans care so much for the rights and safety of Americans and everyone else that we’ve put ourselves in debt trying to police the world which fiscally is very bad for our country but the cause and intent is noble and for that I cannot and will not condemn!                                                   (In fact, our overwhelming debt is perhaps the greatest risk now to our national security but that’s the subject for another post).

Happy Veteran’s Day everyone.  Once again – to our veterans and those serving today, thank you and God Bless!  To my own soldier, my best friend, my love, I thank you sweetheart.  Thank you for serving, thank you for everything you do to keep our home and children safe. You are my hero, thank you for sharing this journey with me and for inviting me to serve beside you.