MADRID ? For millions of Americans, this Fourth of July will be a time of celebration and remembrance of those passed or distanced by war. The yearly commemoration of Independence Day has always been a bittersweet time for Americans who evoke the thoughts of Cordell Hull, “I am particular that, nevertheless great the hardships and the trials which loom ahead, our America will endure and the cause of human flexibility will triumph.”

First celebrated in 1776 and declared a legal holiday in 1941, the Fourth of July is truly the most American of all vacations. A time for households and pals to gather, the Fourth of July has become a benchmark between the blooms of spring and Indian summer.

Our national holiday is explained best in the words of our most prominent leaders, previous and present.

“Exactly where liberty is, there is my country.” – Benjamin Franklin

“Only our individual faith in flexibility can maintain us totally free.&quot – Dwight D. Eisenhower

“The experience of democracy is like the experience of life itself-always changing, infinite in its variety, occasionally turbulent and all the more valuable for getting been examined by adversity.” – Jimmy Carter

This year as millions of Americans celebrate at backyard barbeques and on seashores across the country, we will keep in mind the 1000′s who are far from house, and we will look for solace in the words of our forbearers. As Elmer Davis, the legendary American radio announcer and news commentator, stated, “This will stay the land of the totally free only so lengthy as it is the house of the brave.”

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About The Author

Mark A. Lugris is the Public Relations Director for ThinkExist.com

mark.lugris@thinkexist.com