True American Patriotism, Merely a Memory

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Anti-American protests and movements continue to rage across the United States, diminishing the strength of American patriotism.

“Help us Occupy! End the Wars, Save Trillions.” Occupy Wall Street participants carry signs that call for a division of the people. They promote socialism and condemn the foundational system of American economics, “Capitalism Doesn’t Work.” The occupiers do not call for a unified action from the American people and they certainly do not call for a stronger sense of patriotism.

Years of anti-American movements and actions within our borders have caused true American pride to become a rarity. It is a feeling many Americans only feel on the 4^th of July or Memorial Day. It is a sentiment that has been stuffed inside the walls of museums and locked inside the pages of history textbooks.

The National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. is home to an exhibit called “The Priceof Freedom: Americans at War.” The name alone is enough to evoke a feeling of pride in the heart of even the most apathetic American. As visitors walk through the walls of this exhibit, they are taken back to a time when all Americans stood together, back to a time when most citizens would gladly die for their country.

Edwin Townsend remembers that time. As he walked through the hallway of the exhibit, his mind was in a different place, a different time. He said being in the museum helps him remember what it was like to be an American more than 50 years ago.

“When Pearl Harbor was bombed, on December 7th 1941, the next day, the young men couldn’t wait to go sign up to join the Army, the Navy, or the Marine Corps,” Townsend said. “It was entirely different then, than in recent years.”

The posters in the protected glass cases on the wall read, “Want Action? Join U.S. Marine Corps,” and, “United We Are Strong! United We Will Win.” They called for exactly what Townsend described: service and dedication to this country. They called for participation and unity. They called for pride in America.

In contrast, an Occupy Wall Street sign on the streets of New York reads, “Only the dead have seen an end to war.” It is a pessimistic message that marginalizes the strength and courage of the members of the United States Military.

Townsend said when he was a boy, everyone supported the troops and everyone had confidence in the strength of our nation.

“Patriotism was very popular. Everybody was supporting our country. Everybody worked and sacrificed,” he said. “We had food rationing and gasoline rationing. We had to keep our lights low at night.”

“Do With Less – So They’ll Have Enough! Rationing Gives You Your Fair Share.” This poster in the museum illustrates the American people’s willingness to be selfless for the good of the country.

This kind of noble devotion to the United States has all but died off, along with the brave men and women who fought to keep it alive.

“Patriotism as exhibited before and during World War II, I don’t think we’ll ever see that again,” Townsend said.

With the continual decline of American support from its own people, Townsend’s prediction will be unfortunately accurate. The messages of American pride and patriotism that hang on the wall of The National Museum of American History will be nothing more than ancient artifacts and forgotten ideas.

One sign on the wall boldly promises that “Americans Will Always Fight for Liberty.” In the 1940s, Americans believed that pledge without a doubt in their minds. Today, Americans can only hope and pray that these words remain true for years to come.