What the fireworks represent

Why this day is special

               I joined Toastmasters in 1996 and I heard a speech about Francis Scott Key and the circumstances of which he wrote the “Star Spangled Banner”. He was an envoy to negotiate a truce with the British on a battle ship off of the coast of Fort McHenry near Baltimore MD. When Francis Scott Key boarded the ship he was taken into custody and the British sent a courier to shore with a demand for surrender to the Fort stating that if the Americans in the Fort did not surrender that they would bombard the fort taking the flag down. During the night the British bombarded the Fort, aiming directly for the flag pole and when every time they thought they had a direct hit they would shoot up a flare to see if the flag was still there and every time they did, to their surprise it would always be flying. That is when Francis Scott Key wrote out the “Star Spangled Banner”. When dawn came the flag was still flying and the British released Francis Scott Key and when he arrived at the Fort he witnessed a pile of dead Americand who rushed into hold up the Flag every time a cannonball knocked it down or killed the patriot who had been holding it up. They did this all night until dawn. They beat the British purely with their will that could not be defeated even despite certain death. I was talking with a friend about the softening of America. Our enemies have been working on us for years. Influencing our attitudes and emasculating our young men, under the guise of political correctness. I see it all around me. Standing up for ourselves has been made into a character flaw. I am grateful that the Bowe Bergdahls of the world are in the minority still.