Opinion: Great thing about Americans: We know we can do better
Turning 245 years old is an accomplishment worth celebrating, so Happy Birthday, America! On Independence Day, I’m grateful to be a citizen of the United States of America. Like many of you, I’ve found these words from the Declaration of Independence a simple and inspiring summary of what makes our country special:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
Our history isn’t perfect though, and realizing that makes the day even more worthy of celebration. When I think of the magnitude of change in our country since my grandfather’s birth in rural Florida in 1922, I can’t help but be proud. He dropped out of school in fifth grade during the Depression to deliver telegrams for Western Union to help his family. A baby sister died at birth. There was no electricity or running water and they grew or bartered for everything they ate. He grew up when segregation and discrimination were a part of everyday life. The county he lived in was the site of a lynching as late as 1945.
He joined the U.S. Navy during WWII and had his ship sunk off Anzio in 1944. He was discharged due to injuries and began his adult life in 1945 as our country began to change dramatically for the better. The civil rights movement began, legal segregation disappeared and racial prejudice shrank. We put a man on the moon, invented computers, cell phones and the internet, and modern medicine almost eliminated infant mortality.
I’ve often told people one of the things I learned during my service in the Marine Corps is that if you want to feel good about America and what the next generation of Americans is doing, go visit a boot camp graduation. There, you’ll see young Marines from every racial and ethnic background and political persuasion, ranging from first to tenth generation Americans – all equally and fiercely proud to have earned the title of United States Marine.
A great thing about Americans is we know we can do better. The preamble to the Constitution charged us to strive to "form a more perfect Union." Our founders knew America wasn’t a destination to arrive at, but a journey we take together as Americans. When Ronald Reagan gave his farewell speech upon leaving the presidency, I don’t know that a better description of what we want America to be has ever been written.
Reagan said, "I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still."
West Chester is a great community with potential to be even greater. To achieve the vision Reagan saw, we must continually strive to improve. That’s why I’m running for West Chester trustee – to make progress toward a community where our children and grandchildren have high-quality jobs, our township remains safe, we have a culturally rich atmosphere, our schools prepare graduates for a changing economy, and we have a thriving outdoor infrastructure of parks and trails.
Trent Emeneker of West Chester is a Marine Corps veteran, father and entrepreneur. He is a candidate for West Chester Township trustee. For more information, visit his website at trentfortrustee.com or contact him at trent@trentfortrustee.com.
