MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- To be frank, when I realized the 96 was approaching I didn’t give two thoughts to the idea of Independence Day, nor did I take into account what the whole thing meant. But now that the holiday has come and gone, I’m left wondering ‘what the heck did all that mean,’ specifically for myself.
The fireworks, barbeque and pool parties always seem to overshadow what I am supposed to be celebrating. When talking about Independence Day on a station full of service members, I don’t think anyone would question our patriotism. Most of us joined the service for one reason or another because we have some sort of love for our country. All of us on this station have and are making some sort of a sacrifice for our country. I wonder if our sacrifices change our views of Independence Day.
Simply put, Independence Day is the celebration of our country’s birth and in turn, our freedom. The holiday is unique, as it prompts us to evaluate what our freedom means.
For myself, freedom has taken many definitions over the years. As a youngster my idea of freedom was directly connected to the amount of grape soda and dunka-roos I could consume before getting yelled at.
As a teenager, freedom was that thing I felt I had to obtain through rebellion, minimum curfews and maximum parties. When it was time for college I continued pushing the envelope in the name of freedom — I wasn’t satisfied.
Like a lot of students I wanted to break out on my own, but unlike most I wanted to do it in another country. Six months after graduating high school I found myself jet-bound for a swanky school in Switzerland. When I got there I thought this is it, I can do as I please now, I must be an adult and this must be freedom.
It never crossed my mind the fact that I had to call my parents every time I wanted to make a purchase and in turn it never occurred to me that I was being completely short sided — that was all about to change quick and fast. For my second semester I found myself living in China. My school in Switzerland made it a requirement that everyone go abroad for their second semester.
China was certainly not my first choice but nonetheless I was a little excited since I hadn’t been anywhere on that side of the globe. I settled in quite comfortably. My room was amazing, I had a maid, room service and the food wasn’t that shabby either. For a couple weeks I rarely wandered far from my quarters, but when I finally did I quickly realized the bubble I had been living in. Outside my home I began witnessing a whole new level of poverty that I had never experienced before.
Coming from Los Angles I had seen poverty before, my parents made sure of it, but what I was witnessing in China was a whole new level.
To say I was rattled would be an understatement. For some reason after that I began leaving my room everyday and wandering the streets going deeper and deeper into the maze made up of small shacks a dirt pathways.
These people seemed stagnant like they knew they weren’t going anywhere, as if they had been placed in a caste system and they knew there was no point in trying.
I began to truly understand freedom from their lack of it. Before, freedom was all about me, but at that moment I began to see how important it was to be shared. With an uprising movement playing out in my head my goals began swiftly changing.
All the things I held so dear to my heart — money and power, seemed so cold and worthless at that very moment. I evaluated myself and I was disgusted, but not in despair. I knew I could make a change, but I also knew it would have to be quick and dramatic. I wanted to do something important and I wanted to be involved in the way the world was turning. My peers argued politics in a classroom but I wanted to get my hands dirty.
What better way to get dirty than to join the Marine Corps?
It might have been a rash decision, but in my head it all made sense and still does to this day.
Whether fighting in combat or pushing papers, I am apart of an organization that shares and protects freedom.
For me, freedom went from something I thought was free and giving, to something that should be cherished and fought for. All phony cliches aside, we are all apart of something very real. We have sacrificed so many of our own freedoms so that other can enjoy.
I think we can all agree no matter what you define as freedom, it is worth sharing.
Independence Day is over, but our mission of freedom continues.