Patriot & Citizen: Do I have the Right Stuff?

Seems like every year on the 4^th of July, Veterans Day, Memorial Day and other such days, we put all of our focus on past wars and the price paid by individuals and families from the loss of lives of those who fought.  

We also memorialize those who died as well as those who survived and returned home.  This is not a bad thing to do.  In fact, I think it is a good thing to do individually and as a nation.  We need to remember the past, appreciate it and hopefully learn from it as well.

As the 4^th of July rolled around this year my thoughts rambled to my own ancestors to see how many men have served in the military or were involved in wars that revolved around securing freedom or defending citizenship in America. I’ve been able to trace mine back to my 5^th Great Grandfather who immigrated to America in 1774.

Here is the list.........

5^th GGF, Bartholomew Kindred (1727 – 1804)

• Immigrant to America in 1774
• Weaver by trade for Thomas Jefferson
• Enlisted, but did not fight in the Revolutionary War

4^th GGF, Thomas S. Kindred (1760 – 1835)

• Immigrant to America with his father in 1774
• Served 1777 – 1781 in Revolutionary War
• Served at Yorktown when Cornwallis surrendered
• After the war, he moved to Tennessee,  farming and raising a family

3^rd GGF, Thornton Kindred (1797 – 1872)

• Never had to serve in the military
• Farmed & raised a family in Tennessee

2^nd GGF, James Alfred Kindred (1828 – 1903)

• Never had to serve in military
• Farmed and raised a family in Tennessee

Great Grandfather,  Dorcy C. Kindred (1878 – 1940)

• Age 39, Registered for Draft September 12, 1918
• Never had to serve in military
• Coal miner by occupation & raised three sons

Father, Phillip C. Kindred, Sr. (1920 – 1944)

• Enlisted in U.S. Army, 12 May 1942
• KIA, July 16, 1944, St. Lo, France

Phillip C. Kindred, Jr. (1942 – Living)

• Registered for Draft, age 18
• Classified a 4-A, age 23
• Never had to serve in military

Robert Alan Kindred (1968 – Living)

• Voluntary enlistment in Army 1987
• Served 2 years active duty

Phillip Michael Kindred (1972 – Living)

• Voluntary enlistment in U.S. Marine Corp. 1992
• Served 4 years active duty

So, out of seven generations, only two fathers had to serve in combat; one in the Revolutionary War and one in World War II and only one sacrificed his life.  The only others who served are my two sons, both serving terms of active military duty during times of peace.

Most of my grandfathers simply lived their lives, worked hard at a job, and raised their family.  They enjoyed the blessing of liberty and citizenship through the sacrifice of others. 

This little family history got me to thinking that maybe around the 4^th of July I need to spend more time focusing on being good citizens rather than being a patriot.  Most of us will never have to fight in a war, but we are citizens every single day.  Then I listed some of the traits I think would make me a good citizen.  It is not an exhaustive list, but it's a start.

§         Honesty with others and yourself.  Honesty means sincerity, truthfulness, integrity and openness, not just on Sunday or the 4^th of July, but every day.

§         Compassion is the emotion of caring for people and other living things.  Compassion helps bond us to others and our world.  It leads to caring and sharing with others.

§         Respect is like compassion, but can be directed toward yourself (self-respect) and toward things, like “the Flag” “the law” or even “ideas”.  You can even respect someone you may not necessarily admire.  Seems we don’t do enough “respecting” these days.

§         Responsibility is an “action” word that reflects what you do.  We have personal responsibilities and public responsibilities.  Even groups have responsibilities.  Unfortunately, seems like a lot of folks are shirking any type of responsibility in America today. 

§         Courage is important to good citizenship.  It enables people to do the right thing even when it’s unpopular, difficult, or dangerous.  It’s important whether you are a weaver, a farmer, a coal miner, a teacher, a computer specialist, or a surveyor.

Tonight, after the smoke clears from the fireworks and July 5^th rolls in, I think I’ll give a little more serious thought to my role as a citizen in this great land. 

Hopefully I can practice honesty in all my dealings, show compassion to others, respect everyone, always be responsible, and have the courage to always do the right thing.

In your rambling I’m sure you’ve already discovered it’s a “war zone” out there every day.  Maybe if we all practiced our citizenship traits we’d have fewer declared wars around this planet and maybe even congress could get something done. :-)

Hope you had a great 4th of July!

Thank you Lord for a beautiful day in East Tennessee!