When I think about America, I think of the Founding Fathers who were willing to “mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor,” to defeat Great Britain and make this a free country.
I think of John Paul Jones saying, “I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm’s way.” I think not only of the brave men who died fighting for their countrymen at the Alamo but of Sam Houston and his force slaughtering a Mexican force twice their size in retaliation during the Battle of San Jacinto. I think of Teddy Roosevelt getting shot in the chest by an assassin at a political rally and then FINISHING his 90-minute speech before getting medical attention.
I think of the line from George Patton’s speech that was immortalized in the movie:
“When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooter, the fastest runner, the big-league ballplayers, and the toughest boxers. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. That’s why Americans have never lost and will never lose a war. The very thought of losing is hateful to Americans.”