I Love the USA!
February 18, 2004

What a great country!

On my recent trip to Washington, D.C., with my wife, I was once again struck by the amazing mixture of ethnicities and people groups that make up the warp and woof of our country. I've never experienced anything like it in all my travels. And it's not just D.C. You find this wonderful blend of people all across our land.

The idea for this article occurred to me while my wife and I were on our way to pay a call on Congressman Richard Pombo on Capital Hill. Rolling through the streets of our nation's capital in one of thousands of taxis, I couldn't help but notice that the cab driver was from another country. I asked him where he was from. He told me he was from Eritrea (Africa). This was a pleasant surprise because I have just spent the last seven months in Djibouti, which is located right next door to Eritrea (pronounced - air-ah-tree-ah). He hails from the town of Decamera. We had a wonderful conversation, arriving at our destination all too soon. I asked him to spell his name for me before we exited the cab in front of the Rayburn Building where Congressman Pombo's office is located. The man's name is - are you ready? Tesfamicael Ghebreselassie. He came to the U.S. in the 1970s. Every couple of years he travels back home. Like so many others, he always expected to return to his home country but wound up staying in America, becoming an American citizen.

Upon leaving the Congressman's office, we again grabbed a cab. This time the driver wore a headpiece, indicating he was from what is sometimes referred to as Western Asia or the Middle East. I asked him his name, to which he replied, Lakhwinder Singh. So I ventured a guess that he was from India. He said he was indeed from India, Punjab State. He's been in the U.S. about twenty years.

Later back at the Washington Hilton where we were staying, I stopped in the lobby to speak to the concierge, wanting to offer a compliment to the hotel management about one of their employees. The concierge's name was Anash Kunneth, and he's from India. Didn't get the state he's from in India. Delightful man.

Then there was the bellhop who assisted us with our bags as we checked out. His name is Antonio Galarza. He's from Bolivia. Spanish was my wife's minor in college, so she and Antonio enjoyed a bit of conversation while we made our way from our room on the sixth floor to the parking garage in the basement.

During the social hour prior to the banquet that ended our time in D.C., I walked over to get a drink at the bar (Ha! Bet that got your attention!). I ordered a Coke for myself, and a glass of water with a twist of lemon for my wife. The bartender's name was Tao Le. He's from China.

One of the beauties of being an American is that it's not defined by race, religion or ethnicity, the way so many countries are. Instead, being an American is a value found in the soul. It's something that resides in the heart. Only a free people can truly appreciate what it means to be an American.

The terrorists on 9-11 missed it. They destroyed what they thought represented America.

They attacked the World Trade Center, thinking they would cripple our economy. Americans are not about making money simply to make money. Nor is the presence or absence of money something that defines us as Americans. We make money because we are free to do so. We are highly productive because we are free to engage in trade and commerce.

The terrorists also attacked the Pentagon, thinking they would cripple our military. Americans don't have a military for the sake of flexing our muscle. We have a military because we value our freedom and will always defend it. It goes back to the Minutemen in Concord, and the rag-tag Army at Valley Forge. It's in the heart of every American, whether they were born in the United States or not.

The terrorists also attempted to attack one of our Capital buildings, thinking they would cripple our government. Americans are not about government buildings, though they are grand in their splendor. Instead, the government, in the words of President Lincoln, is to be "of the people, by the people and for the people, [and] shall not perish from the earth."

It's great to be an American. So many different people; so many different cultures; so many different faiths — all contributing in the creation of a nation of people who are united in heart, body and soul. That's what makes us Americans.

This is one of the many reasons I love the USA!