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LCCC holds ethnic food festival

Vacation Bible Schools

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; One thing that has always made America strong has been its patriotism.</p><p>This red-white-and-blue mentality is what has gotten this country through countless struggles, conflicts and wars.</p><p>As the July 4 holiday approaches, I wonder if that patriotic spirit is still as strong as ever.</p><p>When I was a kid, my dad took me to every ceremony there was that celebrated the country&#8217;s patriotic holidays. Whether it be a parade, a service at a memorial, a celebration of a holiday, or a commemorating event marking dates such as D-Day or Pearl Harbor, or a speech &#8212; we were there.</p><p>And when we went to a baseball game, from Little League to the Major Leagues, we always stood at attention, with our hands over our hearts and sang the national anthem.</p><p>That was the way we were brought up. We were taught that Americans bleed red, white and blue. My dad was a disabled American veteran. He belonged to every veterans&#8217; organization there is. He was a commander at the American Legion and VFW posts in Plymouth.</p><p>He did all that not for the recognition or the fame. He did it because he valued his freedom that he and thousands of others fought for and sacrificed for and he respected all veterans.</p><p>There are a lot of veterans &#8212; men and women &#8212; cut from the same mold as my dad. On July 4 and every day, I think of them and whenever I see them, I thank them for their service.</p><p>I think of my dad every day. I grew up watching him and learning from him the importance of patriotism and honoring our veterans.</p><p>I think of guys like Jim Walsh, who has dedicated his life to promoting the displaying of the American flag, not just on holidays, but every day.</p><p>I think of Ed &#8220;Zimmo&#8221; Zimmerman, a decorated Vietnam veteran who is determined to bring back two fallen Marine brothers who were left behind at Khe Sanh in 1968. Zimmerman has convinced the U.S. government and military to return to South Vietnam to do a search and recovery mission to bring the two soldiers back.</p><p>I think of those soldiers on those landing crafts headed to the beaches of northern France in World War II. I try to imagine what was going through their minds. They were told by their superior officers that many of them would not return to their families. They knew that many of them were going to be killed. They knew the certainty of what was about to happen.</p><p>Yet they stood strong and determined. They never faltered. They waited for the boats to land so they could rush the beach and meet the enemy. They knew what was ahead of them.</p><p>And they charged those beaches. They ran up those hills. They took those bullets. They gave their lives, never questioning why &#8212; never once thinking about cowering.</p><p>I think of all those Vietnam veterans who found themselves thousands of miles from home, fighting in the heat of a jungle against an enemy they couldn&#8217;t see. I think about all they went through &#8212; on the battlefields and on the home front. If they were lucky enough to return home, they had to deal with an anti-war sentiment that unfairly blamed them.</p><p>These veterans, these kids for the most part, took up arms in defense of their country &#8212; in defense of our freedoms &#8212; in defense of us. They did it with little concern for themselves, but with total concern for the U.S. and its people.</p><p>That&#8217;s why we should display the flag. That&#8217;s why we should attend the parades and the ceremonies. That&#8217;s why we should sing the national anthem. That&#8217;s why we should hold our hands over our hearts. That&#8217;s why we should &#8212; at every chance we get &#8212; thank all veterans for their service.</p><p>And that&#8217;s why we should feel proud to be Americans and feel grateful that not only do we live in a free country, but that we respect and honor all who have fought to preserve it.</p><p>Make sure you retain that red-white-and-blue mentality. Celebrate the day on July 4, but more importantly, celebrate the men and women who are responsible for protecting our freedom.</p><p>Celebrate patriots and patriotism every day that you are lucky enough to live in the United State of America.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Bill O&#8217;Boyle </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_Oboyle_Bill-2-.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bill O&#8217;Boyle </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle, or email at boboyle@www.timesleader.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Bill O’Boyle, Beyond the Byline: Celebrate the red, white and blue every day