My most patriotic moment

On this 4th of July I have been thinking about what it means to be to me part of this great nation. What was my most patriotic moment...???  I have never worn the uniform of those who protect this nation. I couldn't begin to imagine what that moment is like when you put that uniform on for the first time.  I was born in the country to parents who were born in the country.  Being a citizen of America has always just been assumed.  But I have to say, I feel I have had a pretty patriotic moment.

In the year 2001 myself and 3 of my fraternity brothers decided to go to the first George W. Bush Inauguration. There were a lot of cool moments those few days starting with when we pulled up to the hotel and the paparazzi started snapping pictures of us.  We were staying in the same hotel where the official Presidential Ball was (Black tie and Boots Ball), so they assumed we were someone famous.  We also had somewhat backstage access because another fraternity brother worked for the new VP.  Meeting Robert Duvall was cool- he is much smaller than I imagined.  Meeting Troy Aikman was neat, he was much bigger than I imagined.  Condi, Dick, even Bush were all kind with a handshake and a brief conversation.  NONE of that beats the one moment with my fraternity brothers that brought one of them to tears. 

We are walking around the day of the Inauguration and the staff is getting all the different ballrooms together. Again, normal folks couldn't be where we were but we had special lapel pins that gave us clearance.  We don't notice anything too special in the rooms, or anyone too special until we get to one at the end of the hall. Inside we hear someone playing the Lee Greenwood song, Good Bless the USA.  We were shocked because it seemed like someone had the CD cranked way up.  We pop our heads in to see what was going on and to our amazement there was no CD playing but Lee Greenwood was up on stage, singing the song, doing a sound check.  We looked like deer in headlights but as he was singing he sort of waved us in.  We were the only other people, in this huge ball room, with Lee Greenwood singing one of the most "Fratastict" songs ever.  So the four of us stood there, right in front of the stage, arms around each others shoulders.....and sang a long.  By the end, one of my friends was in tears- something he did almost every time that song was sung.  To be there with Lee (I guess we were on a first name basis at that point) himself, singing that song to us, for the upcoming celebration of the President....it was pretty damned cool.  Probably the most patriotic moment of my life. This was all before 9/11 and everyone had an unknown since of naivety at that point. A lot has changed since then and an innocence is sort of lost but I think the song holds true more now than it did then.

I have since learned what the first verse of the song really means...and the older I get the more I can appreciate it.