WHAT IS PATRIOTISM?
     Sometimes we take for granted words that seem to be imbedded in our psyche. The word patriotism comes to mind. What is patriotism? Who is a patriot? As a child of the 50’s and 60’s, we were taught in our classrooms to pray and to pledge allegiance to our flag. I remember very clearly my seventh grade teacher, Mrs. Louise Todd Terry, requiring each student to recite a morning prayer at the beginning of our school day. I don’t remember all the context of my prayer, but I do know that I prayed for our soldiers.
    Just two short years later, my older brother, Larry, would receive his draft notice while attending college. He was drafted into the United States Marine Corps, one of only three young men selected for the Marines from our county at the time. They were looking for a few good men, and I would have to agree with their choice. Our whole family was so proud of him, but what made a lasting impression on me was my mother crying. It seemed as if she cried for two entire years. All we knew was that the Marines were always on the front lines, and fortunately my brother came home safely. His future brother-in-law would not be so lucky. Reginald C. Britt, or Reggie, as he was called, joined the Navy as soon as he graduated from college, and became a pilot. He jumped out of an airplane, his parachute did not open, and his body was lost at sea. His mother is in her mid-eighties today but I still see the melancholy in this mother’s face when she speaks of her long-lost son.
    Pearl Harbor was still fresh on everyone’s mind, and my father, Paul, 21 years of age, joined the Army on the very patriotic 4th of July, 1942, since he had just recently  completed his stint with the CCC, also known as the Civilian Conservation Camp. He developed health issues and received an honorable discharge two years later, classified as a disabled veteran. My father had seven brothers, six of whom served their country. He and four others served during WWII with the younger brothers enlisting as they came of age and one serving in the Korean War.
    My father-in-law, Joseph Thompson, landed in France just after D-Day. He was scheduled to travel aboard the Belgian transport ship, the “Leopoldville.” At the last minute he received orders to travel aboard a smaller ship. He was very agitated and questioned the decision. He was a captain and wanted to travel with his men. He begrudgingly sailed on the alternate ship. As soon as he landed he started to search for his group. A fellow officer came to him and asked if he had not heard of the catastrophe, and he replied he had not. The soldier informed my father-in-law that the “Leopoldville” was struck by a German torpedo and had gone down in the English Channel. Over 700 men from the 262nd and the 264th Regiments, of the 66th Infantry Division of the United States Army, also called the Black Panthers, had died. They were reinforcements headed for the Battle of the Bulge. The final tally was 763 soldiers-mother’s sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers that had been killed or died of hypothermia. The day was Christmas Eve, 1944. It was the coldest day on record for Europe at that time. Fate, or God’s intervention, had spared my father-in-law. He questioned why he was spared and so many of his fellow soldiers paid the ultimate price for freedom.
    He was called up again during the Korean War. He earned a Bronze Star that now hangs in our house and forever commemorates his service, his courage and his patriotism. This month my father-in-law just celebrated his 93rd birthday. He has lived a good life, raised three children, and taught Sunday school for 40 years. He just celebrated his 68th wedding anniversary with his beloved Jo. Time and a stroke have slowed him down but his legacy survives in his life story and his family.
    Today my son, Adam, wears the uniform of a United States Army captain. He spent a year in Iraq with another deployment soon to come. When I see him in uniform, I feel a mother’s pride. I also feel a huge lump rise in my throat whenever I see a helmet propped on an M-16 rifle with a pair of empty boots resting nearby.
    In high school I read the book, “Hiroshima.” I also read “The Red Badge of Courage.” I did not have enough life experience to correlate my reading material with my family’s history. It was not until later in life I understood, as I explored and traced my roots and learned of the sacrifices of my ancestors and the deaths of grandfathers in battles. Not until my son stepped into those military boots and traveled to a foreign land did I understand a soldier’s mother’s heart. I then understood my mother’s fear. I understood my mother’s tears. Those books weren’t just words on a page anymore.
    I still feel the tears well up when I hear the National Anthem. I feel my chest rise up whenever I recite the Pledge of Allegiance. My family traces our military service through every conflict back to the founding of this country. So again, I ask, what is patriotism? The dictionary describes a patriot as someone who loves and loyally supports his or her country. I guess I can say this describes me well. I think it describes my family very well. So, just as a soldier can thank God for his safety, I also thank God for being born in the greatest country ever known to man. “America, God shed His Grace on Thee.”
Patricia Morris Thompson
John Wade Keyes Chapter
Daughters of the American Revolution
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DAR has served America for 121 years as its foremost cheerleader. In 1928, the Daughters began work on a building as a memorial to the Constitution. John Russell Pope, architect of the Jefferson Memorial, was commissioned to design the performing arts center, known as DAR Constitution Hall. Today, DAR Constitution Hall is the only structure erected in tribute to the Constitution of the United States of America.

Known as the largest women’s patriotic organization in the world, DAR has over 165,000 members with approximately 3,000 chapters in all 50 states and 11 foreign countries. The DAR has long promoted patriotism through commemorative celebrations, memorials, scholarships and activities for children, and programs for new immigrants. For more information about DAR and its programs visit www.dar.org  or call (202) 628-1776.

For a video that shows some of our local DAR members go to http://www.youtube.com/user/TodaysDAR. 

The story above on Co-Chairman Patricia Ann “Sissy” Morris Thompson’s patriotic family provided inspiration for her to join the DAR and to help with our Constitution Week program.

Information provide by
Mrs. Doris Estes of Athens, Alabama
August 27th, 2011