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I can still remember the time I spoke to the Lions Club in Las Vegas as a young man. I was nervous and, frankly, scared to stand before a room full of adults and share with them what I thought about being an American. However successful I was in that endeavor, it gave me the confidence I needed to follow what has been a very long and public path of citizen participation.
I thought about that Lion’s Club speech this past week as I read a remarkable essay by an eighth-grader at Greenspun Junior High School. Daniel McCarty not only wrote his essay about “The America I Believe In,” but he submitted it to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Patriots Pen competition for Nevada.
And he won!
What I thought about at that time was if I could be a newspaper publisher telling others what I thought from a Lion’s Club speech, there is no telling how far young Daniel can go because his accomplishments already have far surpassed my own. Writing an essay is just the beginning because Daniel has achieved so much more in his young life than most children could ever contemplate.
You see, Daniel suffers from a rare disease called osteogenesis imperfecta. And, yet, he writes, acts and sounds like a perfect young man in all he does. As you will read in his essay, his parents, Nicole and James, are special people who not only love him and his siblings but have a great and much deserved sense of pride in their son’s accomplishments.
Last weekend, Daniel and his English teacher, John Lotz, went to Mesquite for the Nevada VFW Voice for Democracy ceremonies during which Daniel was presented the award and a $750 cash prize. Yep, no surprise, Daniel is donating the cash to a local veteran’s organization.
I am proudly reprinting Daniel’s essay along with a picture of him and Mr. Lotz from that evening. I commend Daniel’s words to everyone who is the least bit confused about what it is to be an American and live in this great country.
The plaque presented to Daniel McCarty for winning the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen competition in Nevada.
— Brian Greenspun
The America I believe in
Service in the United States military is important to my family. My father’s grandfather served in the Army in North Africa during World War II. Both of my grandfathers served in the military during the Vietnam War. My father served in the Marines during the first Gulf War. And, now my oldest brother is serving in the Army. My reason for admiring these men and all veterans is because I will never be able to do what they have done.
The United States of America is an amazing country. I live in a safe country where I can express my feelings and not be afraid. In many other countries, people do not have the options to live the lives they want. Some governments do not allow free speech and restrict the rights of women and other people they think should not have authority. In many countries, I would be considered to be useless or of less value to my family and community simply because I was born with a disease.
When I speak with my father about why he loves America, he says people came from other places around the world seeking freedom and opportunity. America has given many people opportunities to succeed and raise their families in a safe environment. I learned first-hand the difference between America and another country when we adopted my little brother. He and I have the same disease. However, in the country of my little brother’s birth family, his life is valued less. Some children with our disease are left at orphanages or are left to die. In America, we have the opportunity to grow up, go to school, play sports, get a job and have a family. When I speak about this difference with my father, he gets teary-eyed.
When I grow up, I want to become a pastor and teacher and coach high school baseball. I will never be able to serve in the military, but I can do my part in sharing the values I have learned from my father and other family members. The experiences my family members have had serving in the United States military have shaped who I am. I appreciate my family members and all veterans who have risked their lives to make our country safe and to protect other people around the world. I know that in my heart I have a passion for protecting people, too. I am alive and living a good life because of the men and women who sacrificed to keep our country safe. I believe in America and I believe that even though many veterans have never met me, they want this America for me, my little brother and all children.
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