Personal Patriotism

“An informed patriotism is what we want… So, we’ve got to teach history based not on what’s in fashion but what’s important: Why the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle was, and what those 30 seconds over Tokyo meant… If we forget what we did, we won’t know who we are.” Ronald Reagan, Farewell Address to the Nation, Oval Office, Jan. 11, 1989

Patriotism is frequently scorned and scoffed at as being out-of-date, the refuge of the ignorant and violent, and the cause of war. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even after the sneak attack of September 11, 2001 by Al Qaeda terrorists brought on a renewed wave of patriotic fervor, patriotism was still attacked by those who believed it was nothing more than an excuse to declare war.

President Ronald Reagan, in his Veterans Day Address on Nov. 11, 1984, said, “Some of your countrymen were unable to distinguish between their native dislike for war and the stainless patriotism of those who suffered its scars.” I do not count myself among those who scorn patriotism, unable to distinguish between hatred of war and personal patriotism.

My personal patriotism is not based on a “my country, right or wrong” emotion. Strong feelings are involved, but do not form the foundation upon which my patriotism is shaped – rather those fervent emotions are fashioned of knowledge and personal experience.

The root from which it grows comes from the fertile soil of history – world and United States history, as well as family history. World history is replete with stories of ancient nations that oppressed their own citizens. When they went to war they sounded a call to arms that played upon the natural tendency for those who live within a national boundary to rise to the defense of the fatherland.

This form of patriotism is based on a person’s desire and need to defend the place where they were born, where they live, and where they earn their living. This is a part of my personal patriotism, but is not the major portion. The patriotism I have and espouse is not so narrow, and therefore not easily used by despots and miss-guided leaders.

Our own country’s history teaches that there may come a time when the form of government must change. The Revolutionary War was fought for that very reason: the time had come for a change from an oppressive government to one based on the principles of liberty. In the 1860s, Americans fought one another in a bloody conflict to settle the question of universal suffrage, thus ending slavery. The 1900s saw Americans going to war twice in worldwide conflicts to insure the peace, security and freedom of the nation, as well as that of millions around the globe. In all of these conflicts, my forefathers took up arms. From Peter Sunderland, who fought at Bunker Hill, to my father, Calvin Sunderland, who fought in the Pacific Theater in World War II, to myself during the Vietnam Era, to my own eldest son and eldest daughter who valued their lives less than the security and liberty of their family and friends. My son went into the Army and served in the Signal Corps stationed at Eagle Base in Bosnia. My daughter served in the Navy and was stationed on Guam in the Pacific.

Each Sunderland father has passed to his children the reasons why America is worth defending, even dying for. The first Sunderlands came to America to escape religious persecution in Scotland. From the beginning, the love of America our family feels is based first and foremost on the freedoms found in this nation. The ability to worship our God in our own way forms the bedrock upon which our personal patriotism is built. There are few places on earth where such a freedom is so readily available to all.

Hard working and hardheaded Scots that we are cause us to look at the practical side of life. The opportunities to pursue personal and economic happiness are granted to all citizens of America forming what has come to be known as the “American dream.” This dream is not allowed to billions outside of this nation’s boundaries. Only in America is it possible to start at the bottom of the ladder and reach the top by our own efforts.

This dream gives no false promises or guarantees. No one is promised a free ride, only the opportunity to obtain happiness. My grandparents and parents came through the dust bowl days and Great Depression neither asking for, nor receiving a government handout. They took advantage of the opportunities they saw to make it on their own. The fierce pride they felt in being an American was passed on to me.

It is widely touted that diversity, for diversity’s sake, is what this nation is all about. This is a naïve concept based on lack of knowledge. It is true that many persons of different ethnic and religious backgrounds from many nations immigrated to America, making it the great melting pot. Until recently these immigrants thought of themselves as Americans, without adding any additional appellation. They devoted themselves to becoming productive and responsible citizens of their new homeland. They learned to speak the language of the land. They were proud to be called Americans. They took part in civic duties and they took up arms to defend their American homeland, many times before achieving citizenship. They provided some of the greatest examples of personal patriotism.

Informed patriotism dictates that there are times when self comes last just as dedication and consecration to the one we marry demands putting the other first. This obligation is neither onerous nor arduous because it is based on love – in the latter it is love of our spouse, in the former it is love of country. For these loves I willingly placed my life on the line to defend family and friends. Lest there be any misunderstanding, my motivations were entirely self-centered and completely selfish.

I was thinking only of defending my opportunity to pursue happiness by someday finding the love of my life, marrying her, settling down and raising a family. Serving my country as a member of the United States Navy was the way I chose to protect my opportunity to become a successful, prosperous citizen. If others benefited from my patriotism, so much the better, but I wasn’t thinking of them.

My personal patriotism is informed. I know why the Pilgrims came to these shores, because my ancestors came here for the same reason. I know who Jimmy Doolittle was, and the importance of those 30 seconds over Tokyo. I know why Peter Sunderland fought at Bunker Hill, why my grandfather George Woods fought the Kaiser, and why my father, Calvin, fought in World War II and why I took up arms during the Vietnam war. I know who we are as a people and a nation. My openly and proudly practiced patriotism may not be palatable to everyone, but that is the great thing about informed patriots – we grant you the right to disagree.