What Does Patriotism Mean to Me?

Patriotism is an interesting concept, based off the loyalty of a citizen to his or her country. Patriotism is more than just loyalty, however. Patriotism is what runs deep inside of each individual citizen, a loyalty that is tough to break and is one of the strongest bonds between a person and their country.
To me, patriotism is shown through action, no matter how small. For myself, it is the small actions. These include doing menial things such as putting up a flag every day or saying the Pledge of Allegiance every morning during class. These go on to include doing such tasks as rooting for team USA during the Olympics and cheering and crying as we compete not just as a team, but as a nation.
For other people, such as my cousin, it is going to war and fighting to protect the country that we have inherited from our forefathers. Joining the military is one of the most patriotic things that you can do, because you are not only protecting the people that you love but also protecting the freedom that so many of us here in the United States takes for granted.
Patriotism is such an interesting concept because it can mean almost anything to anyone. For some of us, it can be actions. For many others, it is the ideas and fundamentals of loyalty and freedom. There are many different interpretations of the idea of patriotism, and this is mine.

What is patriotism? When someone says the word patriotism, he or she may mean the colors of the American flag or the persevering efforts of our military troops. However, to me, patriotism means the journeys that immigrants take in order to seek freedom. One journey in particular was when my mom’s family left Vietnam to seek refuge in America. My mom's family wanted to escape the dangers of communist Vietnam and yearned to become an American citizen. Unlike Vietnam's government, the United States provided citizens with numerous rights, which include voting for its nation's leaders and laws. My mom's family, along with many other immigrants, desired for freedom, liberty, and a better life in America-the land of the free.
During the year of 1975, South Vietnam, where my mom lived, was defeated in war by the communists of North Vietnam. When my mom’s family of ten arrived at the airport, they had to leave behind all of their belongings since so many people were fleeing Vietnam. This means all the clothes and memories over the years were abandoned. Since it was a military cargo plane, all of the passengers were forced to sit on the ground. There were no seats and no room for luggage.
My mom and her family were on their way to the Philippines as a stopover before arriving at the free land of the United States. After landing in the United States, my mom’s family had to live at Camp Pendleton for nearly a year alongside many other Vietnamese refugees. At Camp Pendleton, there were only small tents with cots instead of luxurious living. My mom’s family had to basically live like the military personnel for a year. While the other immigrants were leaving one by one, my mom’s family lived at Camp Pendleton for so long because of such a big family. Fortunately after a year, a very generous couple, Mr. and Mrs. Turner, decided to sponsor all ten members of my mom’s family. My mom’s family never gave up their fight to seek rights and to make a living in America, where they became American citizens, learned English, attended college, and became professionals.
In conclusion, the journey my mom and her family took to escape the danger of Vietnam and to seek the freedom and rights of an American citizen is one definition of patriotism. Immigrants come to the United States because they desire for the freedom and rights that we usually take for granted. Being an American citizen enables one to have a voice in government and have the right to vote-this is exactly the reason why we truly appreciate the generosity of the American government for allowing my mom's family to have a second life.

This is my Dad, Frank Wada, saluting the American flag at the Miramar National Cemetery. He represents patriotism at it's finest. While incarcerated with his family in Poston, Arizona along with other American born Japanese-Americans, he volunteered for the United States Army. He was a staff sergeant in the highly decorated 442 , fighting in World War II in Europe for the country he loved, and still, loves. He received a Purple Heart for being wounded in Italy, and after recovering, returned to battle. He is the most humble, quiet man you could ever know, putting out his American flag at 6:00 in the morning everyday and, of course bringing it in every night.

MY DAD, A TRUE PATRIOT
My dad exemplifies President Kennedy's call to “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” My dad enlisted into the US Navy at the Subic Naval Base in the Philippines at the age of 23. For him, patriotism meant loyalty to a universal set of ideals, embodied by the American flag and its people. His determination to make the “American Dream” a reality for my older brother and me meant relocating his entire life and leaving behind familiar friends and customs to obediently follow wherever the military called. Patriotism meant sacrificing months away from his family to secure that our sacred freedoms “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” were protected and upheld. As a little girl, I remember hearing the creaks of his shoes as he rose at five o’clock every morning to ensure that the values that pulsed through the hearts of all Americans thrived. Thirty-one years later, my dad, now retired, is still a proud patriot working as a contractor for the US Government. He understands that the essence of patriotism is not parading around the flag as you turn a blind eye to the inequalities that surround us, but it is bettering one’s self to answer President Kennedy’s call.

As an incoming college freshman, my father has instilled in me a sense of patriotism that spurs from valuing a good education, a stable job, and stewardship. As a young adult, I am becoming increasingly aware of the discrepancies between the America our founders envisioned and the America we see today. The “pursuit of happiness” has become ridden with increasingly insurmountable obstacles and the American Dream is a reality for less each day. As a student, I aspire towards the kind of patriotism I saw in my father, the kind seeded in intense compassion combined with intense action towards a more equal and productive future. My father inspires me to be a patriot and volunteer in my local community while studying hard to make myself a useful citizen.To me, patriotism is a marriage between yourself and the values of your country; it requires love, hard work, respect, loyalty, and honesty. It means acknowledging America’s successes as well as its shortcomings and having the respect to communicate these issues openly and honestly with those who govern. Patriotism means being informed about what’s going on in your community and voting for candidates based on policies rather political party.Patriotism means respecting my fellow citizens enough to be willing to put in the hard work to improve the quality of life for all. My family and I are proud to call ourselves Americans and it is my sincere and earnest wish to impart the American Dream to my children and to guide them the same way my dad - a true patriot - guided me.

Patriotism is the love, support, and defense of one's country.
What does it mean to ME?
It means that my parents, who had "ethnic" surnames and three daughters, did not have to choose which one lived.
It means I went to Rolando Park, Bethune Elementary, Memorial Junior High, and San Diego High, without having to pay, and learned how to think, learn, and dream.
It means loving the pictures of my daddy with his bushy black beard and Navy dress whites.
It means choosing to continue my education and being able to borrow money, since people besides my mother believed I could do it.
It means learning to drive without a male family member always in the car.
It means choosing who I married, and loving the man I'm with.
It means teaching in City Heights, where children from all over the world arrive with dozens of different languages and the same hopeful eyes.
It means Tuesday library days with my sons, who can borrow more books than they can carry, and only I get veto rights on what they can read.
It means Thank You Thursdays, when my little boy wrestles between cookies or cupcakes, and firemen or policemen.
It means putting up lawn displays every major holiday, without fear or censorship.
It means my children can tell their friends that Sundays are church days, and that we love Jesus.
It means I can kiss them goodnight after we say prayers, and that they don't even need to fear the monsters under the bed.
It means tearing up every time I hear the Star Spangled Banner.
It means I can prioritize God, country, and family.
To me, patriotism is my whole life.

I represent what is best about patriotism in the USA

Loosely, patriotism is an attachment or devotion one's country

Patriotism has NOTHING to with religion. And religion has too much influence on our government today.

I registered to vote on my 18th birthday. It was incredibly important to me - it was something I had looked forward to - I thought I could make a difference. 30 Years later, I still believe I can make a difference by voting for what I truly believe. Sadly, most people I know today under the age of 30 are NOT registered to vote. They do not believe voting makes a difference.

I always vote for what I believe. And I ALWAYS VOTE. I vote in every election. And someday I may see a change.

I will never denigrate our country (Merle Haggard said it best - "when you're running down our country, you're walkin' on the fighting side of me!) or our President (as much as I dislike his politics!). And I frown upon those that do...

I AM A PATRIOT.