Two days after the election, I went to a Veteran’s Day breakfast in our town with my spouse, a U.S. Air Force veteran. My heart was heavy about the election results, and I wasn’t looking forward to the patriotic hoopla.
Sitting among the red, white, and blue decorations, however, seeing World War II vets in their 90s proudly wearing their uniforms next to veterans of later eras, reminded me that there are many ways to be a patriot; many ways to show a love for our country and the people in it. Patriotism is nonpartisan.
For myself, my patriotism stems from knowing this is a country my ancestors fled to, seeking freedom and opportunity that they lacked elsewhere. It manifests itself in a desire to help our country live up to its ideals of becoming a more perfect union, of supporting the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all.
We’ve never quite managed to achieve that vision. The devil is in the details, of course, and what happens when one person’s idea of liberty, say, conflicts with what another person sees as theirs. Right now, I cannot say I am optimistic about the direction our country is taking as it tries to work this all out.
I know that I have to keep trying, though, to make sure that my queer, Jewish, woman’s voice is among the many that are contributing to the conversation, helping to steer our country away from the authoritarianism from which so many of these veterans defended us. If we don’t do that, then the sacrifices of these veterans—and the ones whose sacrifices mean they are no longer with us to observe today’s holiday—were in vain.
On this Veteran’s Day, we honor those who expressed their love of this country by serving in our armed forces. Now let’s go work to make our country even more worthy of their service.