God Bless America
          
By:  Debbie B ;0)
                                                                        

The ride home had been a pleasant one.   All three Cartwright boys had been excited about the fireworks display that they had been witnesses to this evening.  Little Joe who had been the most excited had talked nonstop all the way home.  Adam and Hoss had tried to get a word in every once in awhile but had finally given up and listened happily to their younger brother’s constant chatter.

Ben now sat in his favorite chair, brandy in hand, watching his two youngest sons, Hoss thirteen and Little Joe seven, play at the checker board which sat on the round table at the far end of the great room.  Adam, his oldest son who was nineteen, sat in the blue velvet chair across from his father, reading Shakespeare, his favorite pass time.

“Boys,” said Ben, calling his sons to attention.  “Do you know what tonight’s fireworks display was all about?”

“Sure Pa, we learnt about that in school,” Hoss said looking up from his game of checkers.  “It’s our country’s celebration of freedom.”

“That’s right son,” smiled Ben.  “I’m glad to know you have been paying attention in school.”

“Ah shucks, Pa,” said Hoss hanging his head in embarrassment at his father’s teasing.

Little Joe and Hoss got up from where they sat and came to sit on the hearth in front of the great fireplace that was the center of the Cartwright home.

“Freedom from what Pa?” Joe asked climbing instead into his father’s lap.  Snuggling close into his father’s chest, Ben’s arm encircled his young son.

“Well, it’s like this,” began Ben making sure that he had all of his sons’ full attention.

“On April 19, 1775 a group of thirteen British colonies went to war.  They wanted their own country, a country that they governed, a country that was free from the rule of another.  Many people gave up much by coming to this land, and they wanted it to be their own country.   On July 4, 1776 the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.  Ties between the colonies and the mother country, that being Great Britain, had been cut.  They fought for several years for that right, finally winning their independence from Great Britain and becoming the independent United States of America.  This war lasted until 1783.  A lot of lives were lost in this war, both American and British, but the Americans fought for something they believed in, and that was freedom, and freedom does have a price,” Ben explained to his sons.

Seeing that his sons were listening, Ben continued with his history lesson, “Freedom is a treasured thing, especially to those who have never been allowed to experience it as we have.  The new Americans wanted this country to be established by that rule, where all people were allowed free-dom, freedom to choose where to go and how to live their lives, the freedom to worship as they chose and freedom from fear for their families or for themselves for doing it.  But yet, somewhere along the way, they seemed to have forgotten that because there are those even now who are not allowed those basic rights and I fear a war in the making, because not all people in our country are free as the four of us are.  People of different color, race, and even nationality are still persecuted and held in bondage here in this land,” Ben continued.

“Ya mean the slaves and people like Hop Sing, Pa?” asked Hoss, looking at his father, trying to take in all that his father was telling him.

“You mean people that don’t know no better hate Hop Sing?”  Little Joe asked, watching the expressions on his father’s face, surprised that anyone could hate the little oriental housekeeper, cook and friend.

“Yes precious, there are those who hate Hop Sing, just because he is Chinese, and different from the rest of us,” Ben smiled at his youngest, glad to know that the boy was listening and seemingly understanding the point he was trying to make.

“But it goes further than that son, there is a kind of hate that exists here and in the countries over-seas.  People seem to forget that each of our forefathers came here from a different country.  Only the Indians were here when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620.  The Indians wanted to be friends with the white settlers until the settlers began claiming lands that had always belonged to their red brothers. The whites began forcing the Indians from their homes and the ways of life that they had always been accustom to.   So naturally the Indians revolted and made war against the settlers.  As it is now, most white men have laid claim to what used to be Indian land.  You see son this whole country has fought outsiders and insiders alike.  Those wars have made our land the
great country that it is today.”  Ben paused and took a swallow of his brandy, giving his three sons time to absorb the history of why they had just celebrated the 4th of July.

Clearing his throat and watching the boys to be sure he still had their full attention he continued.  “Even in the good book, it states that there will always be war and rumors of wars.  That is not a happy thought, but when you consider what is at stake, it becomes a very important thought.  Men must always fight for what they believe in.  There will come a day when each of you will have to decide for yourselves if what you believe in is important enough to fight and maybe even die for.  Freedom is an important issue.  Without it you will lose the right to choose for yourselves how and where you want to live your lives, where and how you choose to worship.  You give up the right to make and keep the laws that our government makes for your country.  You may even lose the right
to vote, or worse be governed by one man who wants to have control of everything.”

“I can only hope that when that day arrives that you have to make that decision, you will make the right one.  The one that only you, as a man, can make, and live with.  I pray that by then I would have been able to instill in you a set of values that will carry you throughout your lives and have given you the tools in which to make those kinds of decisions.”

Ben took a moment to look into the eyes of each of his sons, “ One day, maybe not even in your lifetimes, but one day, an enemy will come who tries to take from you, one or all of your basic freedoms.  Do you know what those four basic freedoms are?” Ben asked, looking to Adam, thinking that he was the best choice in answering.

Adam looked at his father and into the dark intense eyes that watched him and solemnly stated, “freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom from want and freedom from fear.”

“That’s right Adam, without those four basic freedoms, our land becomes a country doomed.  Those are the rights that our ancestors fought and died for.  A hundred years from now, when all of us are dead and gone, they will still be the freedoms that men will fight and willingly die for, so that generations beyond ours and theirs can live their dreams.  Just like we have been able to do.  And they should be able to live without fear of assault for coming and going where and when they want, without fear of an unknown enemy that might strike unannounced at any given moment.  No man should have to be made to live in that kind of fear.”

“Someday, there will be great cities all across this country, all united, all under one form of government, all people living a free life that they have earned because they believed strongly in something worth fighting for.  One day all these Americans, regardless of what color their skin is, regardless of their nationality, will come together to fight this unknown enemy who may try to take from them something that they cherish in their hearts.  The cost will be great, lives will be lost, mothers will cry for their sons and daughters, wives will cry for their husbands, children will cry for their fathers, and brothers.  But when a nation stands true to their beliefs and true to the God who stands before all men, this country will prevail!”  Ben said.

“Boys, there was a man, he died not too long ago, in 1843.  His name was Francis Scott Key and in 1812 he wrote a poem, The Star-Spangled Banner. He wrote this after he had been held prisoner on a British warship watching from the shore a battle that was being fought against Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor.  He watched the shelling of his countrymen throughout the night.  The next morning, he saw that our flag was still there despite the ordeal.  His joy inspired him to write a
poem about it.”  Ben watched his three sons, noting the interest that had sprung into their faces.

“Do you want me to tell you how the poem goes?” he asked, smiling.

“Sure Pa, would ya?” Little Joe asked as he turned in his father’s lap to see into the face of the man he loved most.

Clearing his throat and in his deep baritone voice, Ben began reciting.

“Oh! Say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro” the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there.
Oh! Say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen thro’ the mist of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream.
‘Tis the star-spangled banner.  Oh! Long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footstep’s pollution.
 No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh! Thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation,
Blest with vict”ry and peace, may the Heav”n-rescued land
Praise the Pow”r that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto, “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

All three Cartwright sons sat in silence, each deep in thoughts at the words of the poem and of the things that their father had told them.  Ben watched the faces of his sons, giving silent thanks to the God who enabled him to raise his children in the land of the free and the home of the brave.  Ben prayed within his heart that his sons would be spared the ravages of war but hoped that if and when that time came, they would indeed be ready to except the call of duty and stand united in what they believed.  And in the nail scared hands of the God whom Ben believed, he placed the lives of his grandest treasures, his sons.

“Pa,” spoke Adam at last.

“Yes son?” Ben replied.

“That was a beautiful poem, I can only imagine what Key must have been feeling when the smoke cleared and the flag was still there.  Makes you choke up, just thinking about it,” Adam said quietly, almost reverently.

“Yes son, it does,” agreed Ben.

“To bed with you now, it’s late,” Ben instructed, rising from his chair, Little Joe still in his arms.  “Adam, will you please take your brother up with you?  I’ll turn out the lights and then be up to tuck the little scamp in.”

“Sure Pa,” Adam told his father as he removed his baby brother from his father’s arms.  Little Joe was almost asleep but managed to give his father a hug before allowing Adam to take him.

“Thanks, Papa for tellin’ us about America’s birthday,” said the sleepy little boy as he laid his head on his brother’s shoulders and wrapped his arms around Adam’s neck.

“Night Pa, love ya, night Adam, Little Joe,” Hoss said as he made his way to the stairs.

“Good night Hoss, God bless,” Ben told him smiling.

When Adam and Little Joe reached the landing on the stairs, Little Joe could be heard muttering, “Happy Birthday, America.”

Ben watched his sons until they disappeared at the top of the stairs, pride in his offspring growing in his heart.  “Thank you God for such good boys, with your help, they will make fine men.  And God, God bless America!”

Ben blew out the lamps and climbed the stairs to his own room.  After checking on his sons, he crawled into bed; the words of Francis Scott Key  ‘land of the free and home of the brave,’ playing out in his mind as his eyes closed in slumber.

THE END


Dedicated to all those who lost their lives because of terrorism in the United States and to those who serve the military, giving of themselves and their lives so that the rest of us can enjoy the four basic freedoms and much, much more.  God Bless you!

Sept. 2001


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