Note: Each week the Eagle is publishing one of the first-place winners from the American Legion Auxiliary’s Americanism Essay Contest.

By Shaylee Joslin

Although Americans come from every religion, race, and background, there is one common thread that runs through us all – a deep love for our country. No matter who you are, when you say the words “I am an American,” there is a sense of great pride that courses through your very soul. The men and women who founded this country worked hard to get us to where we are now. Every true American feels a great appreciation to those who have gone before us and to those that provided us with our country’s greatest gift, freedom.

America certainly is the “home of the brave.” Every act this country was built upon was one of bravery. Consistently throughout our beloved country’s history there are many instances of bravery and selflessness. The American Revolution, the civil rights movement, the numerous times our country has gone out of its way to assist another struggling nation, and many more events have proven the extreme bravery of the people of the United States of America.

I am truly proud to be an American. What a gift it is to live in “the land of the free.” We live in the greatest nation on the face of the earth. As citizens of the United States of America, we are blessed with many countless privileges and freedoms that other countries do not have. In this nation every person, no matter who they are, has the liberty to worship as they desire, to vote as they wish and to speak their mind. As a result of our nation’s bravery, we as a people are able to live equally, without discrimination or prosecution.

This land is one of majestic beauty, not only geographically, but America is also beautiful in its people. America has been home, and is still home, to some of history’s greatest and most influential people. “Home of the brave,” it certainly is. How thankful am I to live among such brave men and women. Americans who risk of their own lives, fight daily to protect and better our great nation. These people are not only courageous, they are selfless.

It is true that even our beloved country of America has gone through many trials. However, it is our trials and our struggles that have made us such a tremendous nation and such a courageous people. In the face of our struggles America has not only looked to our leaders, but we have looked to each other and to our God for strength. As we have stood together and stood strong we have made it through even the worst of times, when it seemed like all was lost. America is the land of hope, the land of perseverance, the land of the mighty. As I ponder on the blessings of living in this wondrous nation my soul swells within me as deep love fills my heart for America – “Home of the Brave, Land that I Love.”

Shaylee Joslin is a 10th grader at Grant Union High School.