July 4, 2007 - My wife is 61 and I am 8 years older. We went to our community’s Annual Fourth of July Ice Cream Social and Independence Celebration last evening. It was held at the historic Virginia Theatre. The Park District owns and operates the facility. Built in 1921 it is a 1500 seat house that in former days hosted vaudeville, so called legitimate theatre and the latest first run offerings of the film industry. Its style befits a Twenties movie palace. Slowly but at a steady pace the Park District is restoring the house to the way it looked in its heyday. Restoration is a pricey process and it takes every cent the Theatre takes in from the shows and concerts that are jobbed in; community theatre offerings; and the vintage movies shown every Tuesday and Thursday evenings just to meet the operating costs.

The Virginia a rarity, has an operating Wurlitzer Theatre Organs and the program began with the bouncing ball sing-along that I remember from my childhood and Linda does not. As the organ played a Sousa March and the instrument sank from sight the Concert Band of Central Illinois tuned up. Then we went on the air. You see the Park District and our local 5000 Watter teamed up to re-create an old time remote radio broadcast, direct from the stage of the Historic Virginia Theatre. If you are old enough to remember “remotes” you would have fit right in with the audience. Lin and I were among the youngest in attendance. The Greatest Generation and the first of the Baby Boomers were there but Generations X and Y were occupied elsewhere.

The Concert Band of Central Illinois gave us a stellar performance. Towards the end of the programme the band did an abbreviated version of Richard Rogers’ Victory at Sea Suite while the screen showed scenes from the legendary NBC documentary series from the Fifties. At the conclusion of the number our MC asked, “Makes you proud to be an American, doesn’t it?” That drew thunderous applause. It started me thinking on this most patriotic of American holidays.

Yes, I had been proud to be an American. When I was growing up there was plenty to be proud of. We were raised to be proud of America. We were raised on the Sands of Iwo Jima, Audie Murphy, and the 440th Regimental Combat Team going for broke against the Germans. Yes, we knew the horrors of war but at least the sacrifice was in a cause that was worth it. We were justly proud of our warriors and if our selves for the contributions we made at home. It was a just war in which our part engendered the kind of pride toward which the music took us.

We are again in the midst of a war, at least George Bush calls it a war. I have to ask, what is it in Baghdad of which we can be proud? Since 1945 we have had to learn a new language of war; collateral damage; surge; collateral damage; sectarian violence. What is it in our two wars in which we can take pride? Am I proud to be an American. In the middle of our war of convenience and conquest is there something, any thing to inspire me to have pride in the nation; to say, “I am proud to be an American”!