Chicken Soup for the Soul of America (22 page)

Not long ago, I was on post late when I happened to glance at some soldiers standing stock-still, their gaze locked onto the horizon. Out of habit born of pride, I stood with my hand over my heart as faint notes spirited me back to my roots.

There they were again.

Goose bumps.

I shivered, knowing it was more than just the song that filled my heart.

It was my country. Sweet land of liberty. Of thee we sing.

Jennifer Oliver

I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag . . .
from the Bottom of My Heart

Our local public schoolchildren joined with more than 52 million students nationwide to salute our flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance on October 12, 2001. I asked these students if they knew the meaning of the words they were saying, and they assured me they did! I asked each of them to share with the class what the words meant to them. Afterwards, I marveled at the precious creative gifts our children possess, especially when one child added the words “from the bottom of my heart” while reciting his pledge.

Children have an uncanny ability to lift our spirits when we least expect it. I am convinced that they are the ideal messengers for the true spirit of peace and patriotism in America.

I pledge allegiance to the flag . . . from the bottom of
my heart. . . .

I . . .

The first word in the Pledge of Allegiance is “I,” and it means me, an individual. I am one person. I am a six-year-old American kid, and I am happy to say the pledge to the flag of America at school with my good teacher. It makes me feel safe. When I heard about the sad news that happened to our country I was in a good place: I was sitting on my daddy's lap.

Pledge allegiance . . .

“Pledge” means to promise. “Allegiance” means to do it with love. When you say these words you need to put your right hand over your heart to show that you promise to love America. Some people don't understand what saying the pledge really means. They just mouth the words. I will never forget the brave heroes on the flight that crashed in Pittsburgh on September 11th. One man understood exactly what it means to pledge allegiance to our flag. He made this solemn promise when he turned to the others and said, “Let's roll!”

To the flag . . .

The American flag is like a banner with stars and stripes on it. There is not another flag in the world like the American flag. We have a paper one in our window because they sold out of the real ones at Wal-Mart. Some people have tried to copy the American flag, but they can't get the colors right. Some people have tried to burn it, but they just wind up hurting themselves.

Of the United States . . .

The United States is the name we came up with when we decided to unite the states and get away from the British. We didn't have anything against them, we just wanted to be on our own because we did not believe in some of the things they believed in. For instance, they believed in having a queen, and we looked forward to becoming a more modern country. We wanted George Washington to be the president. Well, we had to fight a war because they had never heard of such a thing! After we won the war, the British people became our good friends, and some of them even moved over here.

Of America . . .

America is a country filled with lots of history. Many books have been written about it. I have read about nine or ten of them so far. Many people died for our country because they wanted freedom for the press. You can be anything you want to be when you grow up in America. It is a free country. When I grow up I want to be a fireman and play a little golf in my
free
time.

And to the republic . . .

Republics are a group of people who work at the White House. They carry briefcases and have lots of important meetings. They swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Republics are not Democrats. My grandpa is one but not my dad. I do not know about my grandma or my mom. They have never mentioned it to me.

For which it stands . . .

When you say this part it means to rise up on your feet. Do not sit down when you are saying the Pledge of Allegiance. It is not proper. Stand up and think about those who died for our country. Me and my family went to Washington, D.C., on our vacation. One day we went to the Vietnam Memorial to look for my uncle's name. When we found it, my dad cried. He said my uncle was one of the brave men for which it stands.

One nation . . .

This means a country filled with praying people. We know this is a true fact because President Bush always says “God bless America” when he speaks to the nation. My mom and my dad say that President Bush is doing a good job. If you want to vote on this you can go to
CNN.com
and talk to Larry King or Dan Rather about it.

Under God . . .

This part means we are below God's roving eye. God is up in heaven and he is looking down on us. We are right here—under him. We can trust God to take care of Americans. If you say “In God we trust” instead of “under God,” it means about the same thing.

Indivisible . . .

Indivisible means we cannot see it. It is also called the hidden truth. Only God can see what is going on when things are indivisible, but he will help us see the hidden truth if we only trust and obey. There is no other way, just trust and obey.

With liberty . . .

Liberty is an awesome thing. It means freedom. We even named a bell after it. It is called the Liberty Bell. It got cracked once when someone was ringing it, but that did not stop our country from celebrating the Fourth of July. Americans will never let a cracked bell stop liberty. Let freedom ring!

And justice . . .

Justice means knowing the difference between doing what is right and doing what is wrong. Justice is the word for doing what is right. I do not know the word for doing what is wrong, but someday they will pay for it. President Bush has warned them that time is running out, and the FBI is closing in.

For all . . .

This means everybody is included. It doesn't matter where your family lived before they came to America. Like me for example: I lived in Kentucky before I moved to Missouri. I am half-Mexican, half-Kentuckian, half-Baptist and half-Democrat. But none of that makes any difference because I am an American and I pledge allegiance to the flag from the bottom of my heart.

Jeannie S. Williams

I Am an American

I am a twenty-one-year-old college student from Rockaway, New Jersey. I did not personally know anyone involved in the catastrophe that struck our nation. Still, I feel connected in some way to each and every one of the victims, to their families and friends, and to the brave individuals who helped with the search and rescue. I, like all Americans, was overwhelmed with emotions. I was sad, confused, frustrated and angry—for many reasons. I had so much I wanted to say, but the words refused to come. I wrote the following passage to express my feelings and to make a statement. My thoughts and prayers are always with you. May God bless America.

I am an American. I am free.

I am an American. I am strong. Like our nation's foundation, built by our founding fathers over two hundred years ago, I will not buckle. I will not be broken. I will endure.

I am an American. I have faith. I have looked into the eyes of fear, but I am not afraid. I weep because I am human, not because I am weak. My beliefs cannot be taken from me. I will never give up hope.

I am an American. I have a voice. I speak my feelings freely because I am free to do so. I will voice my anger because I am angry. I will shout my frustration because I am confused. I will say my piece. I cannot be silenced.

I am an American. I am proud. The colors red, white and blue flow through my veins. Like the torch that welcomed my ancestors, my soul radiates freedom and liberty. The flag is my beacon. Brotherhood and love are what I believe in, truth and justice are what I stand for.

I am an American. And I am everyone—never just one. I am everything. I am united. I am the businessman on Wall Street, the farmer in Nebraska, the movie star in Los Angeles. I am the rolling waves of Miami Beach, the blowing wind of Chicago, the snow-capped mountains of Boulder and the desert sun of Phoenix. I am not weakened by cowardly acts of malice; I am strengthened. I cannot be divided. I will not be conquered.

I am an American. I will survive. I will stand up and I will fight and I will defend. I will not sit back and do nothing when I can do something. I will not back down. I will overcome. I will prevail.

I am an American. I am free.

Danielle M. Giordano

5

UNITED
WE STAND

'T
is not in numbers but in unity that our great strength lies.

Thomas Paine

One

As the soot and dirt and ash rained over us,

We became one color.

As we carried each other down the stairs of the burning building,

We became one class.

As we lit candles of hope and remembrance,

We became one generation.

As the firefighters and police officers fought their way into the inferno,

We became one gender.

As we fell to our knees in prayer and strength,

We became one faith.

As we whispered or shouted words of encouragement,

We spoke one language.

As we gave our blood in lines a mile long,

We became one body.

As we mourned together the great loss,

We became one family.

As we cried tears of rage and grief,

We became one soul.

As we shared with pride the sacrifice of heroes,

We became one people.

We are

One color,

One class,

One generation,

One gender,

One faith,

One language,

One body,

One family,

One soul,

One people.

We are the Power of One.

We are United.

We are America.

Cheryl Sawyer, Ed.D.

Chance Encounter

This country sees pain and grief,
But love has tied us together.
Hate tries to destroy,
But love conquers.
Hate tries to separate us,
But love is stronger.
Hate tries to kill,
But love lives.

Annie Perryman, a twelve-year-old in rural Oregon

As the Jewish holidays approached in the middle of September, I went to the local mall to find some outfits for my daughter. I didn't feel much like shopping. Like everyone else, it seemed, I couldn't shake a persistent and pervasive sadness. But I wanted my daughter to have something new for the Jewish New Year. I was looking at little girls' dresses when a young woman stopped me and said, “I notice you are buying girls' clothes. I have to buy something for a little girl, and I don't know anything about sizes. I only have boys. Would you help me?” Drawing on my vast experience as the mother of four daughters, I helped her choose a beautiful dress for a ten-year-old. I couldn't help but notice that the dress was really fancy—velvet and lace—by a company known to be expensive. I remarked casually, “It must be a very special occasion. She's a lucky little girl.” But then the woman said, “Well, it's a special occasion. But I don't know how lucky she is. The family is having a big party. Her dad is being deployed to Afghanistan.”

It was then that I really looked at this woman. She wore a simple scarf about her head and neck, but what really struck me were her eyes. They were a beautiful brown color, large and sad.

“It's a beautiful gift,” I said. I was trying to convey to her how much I sympathized with her concern for those immediately affected by the terrorism, how much I also felt a part of the whole ordeal, how sad I was for all that loss. She clasped my hand for a moment and a silent bond passed between us, the kind of thing only women and mothers understand.

She continued about her business, and I went to the cash register to pay for my items. A woman ahead of me eyed me strangely. I was startled by her stare so I asked her if we knew each other. She said, “No. I heard what you said to that woman over there. How could you even talk to her? Didn't you realize she's one of them?” My shock must have registered on my face because she enlightened me, “That woman is a Muslim. They're all terrorists, you know.”

There were three or four people around the cash register at that point, and all of them fell silent. I felt my anger rising. I managed to say tersely, “No, I don't know. I only know that she asked for my help with dress sizes. She was buying a present for a little girl whose father is being deployed.” I would have said more, but the woman turned her back on me and walked away.

I was left with the three other women at the cash register. One of them said to me, “Don't feel bad. She's just ignorant.”