I'm sure we all remember Kate Smith singing with her rich voice, "God bless America", written by Irving Berlin. How many glorious times do we remember that song being sung at sporting events all across the USA. Yes, a song that made us proud, a melody that made us rejoice as we stood together at various events with our friends and neighbors of different backgrounds, our hearts rejoicing in our free country. That song still makes my heart sing.
Our country went through some tough times back in the 40s when we fought in World War II. But as dangerous as those times were, we never lost our patriotism. I was 5 years old, in kindergarten that Monday morning in December when Miss Wilkins, my kindergarten teacher, read the New York Times announcing the start of the war with Japan attacking Hawaii. I still remember sitting very quietly on my kindergarten chair carefully listening to the news. All I remember is that I felt scared. What did this mean for my family? I began to worry about my older brother Donald, my parents, my Dad who worked at Ford Motor Company in Edgewater, NJ. across from Manhattan, on the Hudson River. In fact, Easter Sunday 1945, my Dad had to work! I remember how shocked I was that he should have to be at Ford Motor Company helping to manufacture jeeps instead of attending church on that special day. Hawaii was a long distance away and yet I wondered. When would the war end?
Then I remember neighbors, young high school graduates, without hesitation signing up to fight in the war. It was as if everyone in my town of Ridgefield Park, NJ wanted to somehow be on the fighting front lines of the war. Collections of scrap metal, women gathering together sewing bandages, men volunteering to be "air raid wardens", blackout drills in the dark nights of winter. Each citizen wanted to volunteer to do something to protect our country and fight the enemy.
I also remember the "Gold Star Mothers", women who lost their sons fighting the war in the Pacific and Europe. The US was truly facing a huge world war with two fighting fronts, one against Japan and one against Germany. A lot of men, young and middle age, fought in the war and died. My backdoor neighbor had a small banner in her front porch window that was decorated with four gold stars. My parents told me she had lost four sons in the war. I remember feeling so badly for her family. Whenever I thought about her loss I grieved.
The United States showed incredible strength, unity and patriotism during 1941 through 1945. Everyone was proud of America and voiced their pride. At the end of the war, I remember my Dad grabbing several New Years' Eve horns, putting them in our hands and walking us up and down Grand Avenue as we shouted, "War is over!". Neighbors opened their doors and cheered with us at the glorious news. Peace had returned to America.
As we heard Kate Smith singing again, we all joined in......"God bless America, land that I love, stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above. From the mountains to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam, God bless America, my home sweet home.......God bless America, my home sweet home."
Here it is, 2021 and we are living in troubled times. Are we united in pride for this America, "the land that I love"? Are we united in praying to God to continue to bless America, "stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above?" Are we united in love for the varieties of backgrounds we all come from, since we are a land of immigrants? Are we united in love for all the varieties of skin color we proudly have because we are all related as brothers and sisters, descendants of Adam and Eve? Do we rejoice in this land with its God created beauty "from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam? Do we thank God for "America, my home sweet home"?
Let us not forget this America, that we have a gift of freedom, that we have a God who watches over us, and that we have a government that is accountable to the people. May we remember the greatness of America in these turbulent times of 2021.
