Married to the Military: Fourth of July
Jul 14 2009
Country music and the sweet smell of cotton candy filled the air as the crowds made their way among the various overpriced arcade games. Craft booths filled with the unique creations of local artisans enticed would-be shoppers while hamburgers and hotdogs sizzled on outdoor grills, much to the culinary appreciation of the hungry in attendance. There was no shortage of beverages for the thirsty, either.
There was a bouncy castle in place designed to give those sugar-induced youngsters a place to burn off the extra energy and parents a chance to catch up on conversations with one another while their children defied the basic laws of gravity before their ever-watchful eyes.
And it wouldn’t have been a real Fourth of July celebration without the spectacular fireworks display, complete with the requisite “oohs” and “ahhs” whispered in unison among the blanket dwellers under the stars followed by the usual traffic jam as partygoers left the grounds after the event.
At the end of the day, this could have been a Fourth of July celebration in any town in the U.S. But it wasn’t.
It was a Fourth of July celebrated on a military installation overseas where an ID card was needed to attend and those you called your family weren’t related to you at all — they just happened to be ones you shared your life with in this moment of time.
It was a July Fourth celebrated on an installation where a good portion of the population couldn’t attend because they were in Afghanistan or Iraq defending the freedoms that we sometimes take for granted.
Anyone who has ever experienced a Fourth of July overseas will tell you there is something special experiencing the holiday outside the U.S., far from everything you know and love.
Pick your country. Pick your base, camp, or post. It just doesn’t matter. You’ll have to look hard to find a dry eye in the tent when at some point the band belts out the must-have song of the night “Proud to be an American” and is joined by the unwavering voices in the crowd as the words travel across the night air in a foreign land.
About the Author: Janet Farley is author of The Military Spouse’s Complete Guide to Career Success (Impact Publications, 2007) and The Military-to-Civilian Career Transition Guide (Jist, 2004). Visit her Web site at www.janetfarley.com.
