HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Fourth of July brings fireworks, celebrations, and community, but veterans want people to remember the true meaning behind the holiday.
“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have the citizen, you know, soldiers stand up for our country,” Michael Gronkowski, an Army veteran and the Alabama State VFW Commander, said.
The holiday represents the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 after what veterans describe as years of bravery by the men who lived in America at the time. Veterans describe the men as taking on a fully developed British Army in the fight for what they believed was right, no matter what it took.
“Those guys literally signed their own death warrant, potentially,” Army Veteran Kari Childress said. “It was treasonous what they did when they signed that declaration. But they did it for a better life and better for us.”
The Veterans Memorial Museum in Huntsville replicates many pieces from the Revolutionary War, from the citizen-like uniforms American soldiers wore, to what the flag looked like at the time.
Mike Elrod, a Navy veteran and staff member at the museum, said he is astonished when he looks at everything the United States has accomplished.
“This country’s only been here for, like, 250 years,” Elrod said. “And what we’ve accomplished during that short period of time and how much the country has grown, I mean, we’re a mixture of people from all over the world. And I’ve been to a lot of countries, but this is the best country in the world.”
The museum displays the story of the U.S. gaining independence, and veterans are living testimonies that the fight for freedom continues to this day.
“You’re not doing it for you,” Childress said. “You’re doing it for the next generation. I think sometimes people have forgotten what true freedom means. And that you’re not just born with it. It takes blood, sweat, and tears.”
Veterans want people to remember that these freedoms are not free. Many told News 19 that serving overseas opened their eyes to how other countries operate and made them even more appreciative of the liberties here at home.
“As a little girl, I had a chance to get an education,” Childress said. “And when I was deployed, I was in Iraq, and I saw a little girl who had a backpack on. And I knew that if we hadn’t been there, she couldn’t have gotten school.”
“If I don’t agree with you, I don’t have to agree with you,” Gronkowski said. “If you don’t agree with me, you don’t have to agree with me. And you’re allowed to have those differences. In a lot of countries, you’re not allowed to do that.”
Every time they hear the National Anthem on the Fourth of July, they remember the sacrifices of those who came before them, stand with those who are still serving, and say, despite the challenges, they would do it all again.
And they hope you remember all who laid their lives on the line.
“I know the price of that freedom,” Gronkowski said. “I’ve lived it. That freedom was paid for by a lot of Americans, from 1776 all the way to now.”
“Don’t forget there’s somebody on a front line somewhere so that we can have a hot dog,” Childress said.
“If I had to serve my time in the military all over again, of course, I’m an old man now, but if I had to do it, I would do it again,” Elrod said.
More information on the Veterans Memorial Museum hours and tour availability is available on the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber website.
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