By: Kadin McCallum
CWO3 Nathan McCallum, U.S. Marine Corps
America has stood as a bastion of Freedom and opportunity for 250 years now. Throughout that time, we have struggled and thrived. From thirteen small but brave colonies, we persevered to become the greatest nation the world has ever known. Our founding fathers took noble ideals from the hypocritical Roman Republic and forged a nation dedicated to protecting the rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. While individuals such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and many other great people have made this country what it is today, none of them could have done it without the people.
I am a proud American, and my family has served and protected this country for generations. We have a proud military heritage. My father spent 25 years in the Marine Corps. He went on multiple combat deployments to defend our country from foreign threats. Additionally, he worked to train the next generation of Marines on Parris Island. Now he works to keep our children safe as a School Resource Officer. My Grandfather served in the Army and fought during the Vietnam War. My great Grandfather fought Nazis during World War II and his father fought in World War I. While no one in my family was Ulysses S. Grant or Dwight D. Eisenhower, we were the regular soldiers who lifted those men to greatness. However, we did not just protect America but her precious promise of freedom.
My mother’s side of the family has nurtured America and her children as well. My mother is raising three children and has built a beautiful home. She also worked to teach Marines and their families the skills they needed to navigate life in the military. After all, why would a soldier fight without something to fight for? What is the American Dream without the American family? Additionally, several of my aunts are teachers. They instill into their students what it means to be an American. They are raising the next generation, who will raise this great nation even higher. My other Grandfather was also a teacher; he helped to raise an entire town in rural America. He acted as a mentor and role model. I could write this whole essay on him alone and the impact he had on America. While he never served in the military, he served his country in many other ways. He is a role model for me and many others.
While you will never find the McCallum name in any history books, we have loved and protected this country, and we intend to continue loving and protecting this country. We, like so many other families, have served as the backbone of this beautiful nation. My siblings and I know the hardships and struggles that made this nation and the freedoms we enjoy. America, first and foremost, is a nation of the people, for the people, by the people, and we intend to help keep it that way, so that our children can inherit a 250 year old legacy of freedom.
