Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
We shouldn't be here. Throughout the course of our history we've
had all the odds stacked up against us; and yet here we are.
At our beginnings, a band of poorly organized rebels looked to the greatest power on Earth
and told them that they were to be given liberty or would die fighting for it.
We should've crumbled when their vessels arrived; but we didn't.
When we declared ourselves an independent nation and created a new form of government;
we should've failed. When their forces returned in 1812 to invade
our homeland they should've succeeded; but when the dust settled over Chesapeake
our star spangled banner yet waved. When we saw the greatest division of our country
in history we should have severed; but united we still stand.
When the United States Navy headquarters in the Pacific was suddenly and deliberately
attacked by the Empire of Japan, we should've fallen;
but in the presence of the U.S.S. West Virginia, Tojo Hideki admitted defeat.
When the freedom of humanity was at stake, we easily could've fallen victim to the Nazis;
but on June 6th, 1944, we made it clear that we would not allow freedom to fall to tyranny.
When Communism threatened the survival of our species and of our nation, we should've
exchanged our moral values for the promise of peace;
but after a long standoff, Mr. Gorbachev tore down that wall.
Mathematically, our odds of prospering together as a nation were slim to none.
However, mathematical calculations leave out one key variable,
and that variable is us.
There is no force in this universe powerful enough to defeat the will and determination
of the American people. Our greatest advantage over every other nation
in this world is our capability to persevere against all odds in order to preserve liberty,
democracy, and our way of life. We have brave men and women willing to lay
down their lives for us, and when we dedicate our hearts and souls to them and their efforts,
there is no enemy and no task we cannot overcome.
Its easy to lose faith in ourselves when we turn on the news and see the horrors that
our own are responsible for. I've always said that the media doesn't do
us justice. They focus on the malicious actions of the
few, but not the benevolent actions of the many.
For every person knocked down, ten are lifted up.
With all the atrocities in the news, the true character of America is shown when you run
out of gas or get a flat tire in some small town in the middle of nowhere;
and the first person that drives by is willing to hand you a spare and one for the road.
We seem intent on dividing ourselves in as many different groups as possible;
but when the world demands us to work together, we remember that when it comes down to it
we aren't democrats or republicans, men or women, black or white;
we are Americans; and we always will be, as long as we have
a say in it.
Because when the wolf growls at the door, we will show the world again and again our
ability to persevere. Whether it be in Afghanistan or Normandy,
when the American people are determined to achieve success, victory will inevitably be
acquired. It is our duty as the future of the United
States to continue our rich tradition of perseverance in order for the sacrifices of our ancestors
to not have been in vain, so that one day, when we are long gone;
our great great grandchildren can look back at us and say that united, they still stand.