Editor’s Note: This is the winning essay for both the district and state from Hunter Britt’s American Legion Post 73 entry, American Legion Americanism Essay contest.

I like living In America because we really live up to the phrase “the land of the free and the home of the brave” as sung in “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Our military is strong, and we have extraordinary soldiers out there fighting and putting their lives on the line for their families, their friends, and their nation, all because they care. It is my belief that every person alive has a purpose, a tie that binds them to the earth for a short time before they go on. Every time I see a man or woman in uniform, I remember to pray that when they leave, God will permit them to return home to their families and the land they love most.

America, in addition to a strong military, has the rights and freedoms that any person could ever hope to have. Our ancestors and forefathers built this nation on their strength, courage, and determination to never give up until every American who walked on this soil was free. We are not under another country’s rule, we, as individuals, are allowed to choose our morals and religious beliefs, and we are not (as of now) victims of war or oppression. This country is as free as free can be.

In conclusion, I say simply that we are the kindest nation out there. In times of wars past, it appeared to me, instead of wanting to take part, we either tried our best to avoid it, made peace, or chose a side and fought for them as well as ourselves. America is almost like a sticky adhesive that binds all the other nations together in peace, harmony, and tranquility.

— Hunter Britt