July Fourth celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It’s a showcase for patriotism. But what does all of this really mean? 

Patriotism comes from the heart. It’s what you believe and what you care about. It’s a sense of belonging and part of the culture one embraces. 
In the military, service members and their families live it during each and every mission they undertook.

Many of those who served are now veterans. They fought for our country, our families, our neighbors, our community, and our buddies on the left and the right. We will all be celebrating the Fourth and checking on each other. 

Some of our team will spend the morning at Mount Vernon, home of George Washington, who led the military movement for independence. Close to 246 years later, members of our Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services served on multi-national military teams committed to carrying forward this belief, participating in the fight for three other countries (Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan) to have independence. In the afternoon, we will join co-workers, friends and family celebrating our 10-year anniversary of continued service to veterans and military families so that we all can live happy, productive, independent lives. 

Embrace the day! What will you be reflecting on while you recognize our nation’s freedom and your own patriotism?