Patriotism to me is not just a word I can define and being patriotic is not just an adjective used to describe someone. Instead, patriotism is an action and being patriotic is a lifestyle.

The Oxford Dictionary defines patriotism as such, “the quality of being patriotic; devotion to and vigorous support for one's country”. To me patriotism is most importantly that second definition. Devotion and support for one's country. That means going beyond just love, it means taking action, doing something based on that love. When I think of the people in my life that I consider patriotic, they all share one thing, they are involved. Involved in local charities, involved with fire department or emergency medicine, involved in public health jobs, teaching the next generation, or serving in the military. To me patriotism is not just waving the flag, it is doing something uncomfortable to you for the benefit of others. Patriotism is recognizing that there is something special about the United States of America, and then after recognizing that acting on it by contributing.

For me patriotism dictates my life. I recognized from a very young age that there is something special about the country we live in. I was always big into history, and learning about the successes of our nation throughout history made me proud of all that the American Flag and its ideals has stood for and endured. I am proud to live in a country where the civil rights movement happened, I am proud to live in a country that helped topple the axis power in world war 2, I am proud to live in a country where its founding documents would go on to be used as reference for many countries to come, the list goes on. But my sense of patriotism didn’t just come from our past, it comes from my current present experience of our country. I have been blessed with security, comfort, education, and freedom, and all these things make me grateful to live in our country. I’ve had the privilege to travel outside of the United States, and the more I was able to experience another government and culture the more I realized just how special we truly are.

I’ve talked about why I feel patriotic, but as I said earlier, its more than a feeling, it is an action. So how am I acting on my patriotism? To start I joined the Phoenixville Air Force JROTC my freshman year, here I learned more about history, ceremony, and ideals that all honor our country. “Service before self and excellence in all that we do” is the Air Force core values, and now are mine. Through JROTC I acted on my patriotism by participating in community service, honoring previous heroes of our country and by mentoring and teaching the other cadets. After participating in JROTC, my patriotism only grew stronger. When I turned 16, I started volunteering at the Phoenixville Fire Department as well as I now volunteer with local organizations that work to preserve natural beauty of our country.

I don’t share all this to pat myself on the back, I can’t truly define patriotism without sharing about all the good things it has driven me to do. Because patriotism is not just a definition, it is an experience. I would not have started volunteering as a firefighter if I didn’t feel a sense of pride for my community and country. That pride is what drove me to want to help others in my country and contribute to what makes our country special.

And now after graduation I’ll be taking the biggest step of patriotism in my entire life, enlisting into the United States Air Force. Patriotism doesn’t just cover our past, or the present, it covers out future. Patriotism means taking uncomfortable, scary steps into unknown territory to serve. I am beyond excited for my enlistment, I am excited to further my service to my country and I am excited for all the added pride and patriotism that will come from it.

In conclusion, patriotism to me means acknowledging that your country is special and then acting to further serve your country and its citizens to make it better. When I look at the Flag and the national anthem is playing, I do not think of the people who just loved our country, I think of the people who died for our country, spent their careers serving our country and ultimately the people who made our country better. And that is what patriotism is.

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Drew Raudenbush - 2024