Tuesday, July 04, 2000
Peace, prosperity put new face on patriotism
By Richelle Thompson
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The local patriotic song and dance group GRANMOTION.
(Luis Sanchez photo)
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Today, 224 years after the birth of a nation, patriotism faces the challenge of existing in a time of peace and prosperity. Gas prices, not tyrants or communism, are the enemy, and freedoms of religion and speech are taken for granted.
Drumbeats of war have long sounded the cry for patriotism, but the United States hasn't fought a sustained war for nearly 30 years, not since Vietnam. Battle stories are distant memories, and the war machines are idle.
So where does that leave love of country?
“In times of plenty, when there is no enemy, the greatest danger is the threat from within, the apathy or indifference to our form of government,” said David White, executive director of the National Flag Foundation in Pittsburgh.
“It is times like these when we need to really work hard at educating young people so they understand the freedoms they have and that freedom requires sacrifice and eternal vigilance,” he said.
Patriotism in peacetime takes new expression, say historians, veterans and local residents. It is not only military service, but also community volunteer work. It is waving the flag and voting in elections as well as being considerate, gracious and willing to help others.
“You don't have to be blowing people up to be patriotic,” said Dan McCarty, a Lebanon high-school history teacher and Gulf War veteran. “Patriotism is also pride in your community. Strong family. Strong community. Strong country. I think that's more what patriotism is.”
Forty percent of adults polled by the Roper Center in 1998 said patriotism was the traditional American character trait most likely to disappear in the next 30 years. Belief in personal freedom, equality for all and free enterprise beat out patriotism.
Jerry Spath, 69, of Colerain Township, is optimistic. He believes patriotism will survive.
Each morning, Mr. Spath hangs the flag from a pole in his front yard. Each evening, he takes it down. Every time, it touches him emotionally.
“It's harder to be patriotic when there's no war,” acknowledged Mr. Spath, who served in the Korean and Vietnam wars during his 20 years in the Air Force.
“I don't think it will decline completely. ... Education is the key to getting kids involved.”
But talk of patriotism can seem stuffy, the concern of an older generation.
Mr. McCarty says it is challenging to convince young people that patriotism is in step with their lives. That's why he tries to show that patriotism starts at home.
Students in his history classes learn more than what balance of power means or why the Boston Tea Party happened. They have to earn community service points to pass his class.
“I think one of the most important things history and social studies (classes) can do is build good citizens,” said Mr. McCarty, 36. “Get kids active so they know they can play a role in making the world a better place.”
His students have visited retirement homes and cleaned up riverbanks.
“To a high-school student, what is their world?” Mr. McCarty said. “It is their local community. Their world is their community. Their country is their community.”
Gulf War patriotism
Patriotism spiked during the Gulf War. Fervor and yellow ribbons swept the country, and the American flag flew at an estimated 50 million homes. In Greater Cincinnati, Operation Orange Ribbon encouraged citizens to remember Persian Gulf troops by attaching orange ribbons to mailboxes and car antennas.
But the conflict with Iraq lasted less than three months, and the economy and other worries soon distracted the nation.
Today, the number of homes flying a flag has dropped by half, Mr. White says.
No one can say why, but peacetime headlines, the busyness of people's lives and a growing cynicism about the function of government played a role.
As a result, some in Generation X or younger see the Fourth of July as a day of picnics and volleyball games, not a celebration of national pride. For others, the day is no different than any other.
“It doesn't really mean anything to me,” said Florence Pope, 20, of Winton Place. “As an African-American woman, I feel like this country has taken advantage of us.”
Ms. Pope doesn't say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the national anthem. And the Fourth of July is simply a day off, not a day to celebrate.
“For 400 years, we helped build this country, and we haven't gotten anything for it,” she said. “I don't belong here.”
For Aimee Wendt, 18, of Newtown, patriotism isn't something she often thinks about. She respects the country and the sacrifices others have made for the freedoms she enjoys, but she never has experienced a prolonged war.
“Since we're in peacetime, we don't really have to make our actions as loud,” she said. “We don't really have to fight as hard for what we believe in. We take it for granted.”
To combat apathy, the Na tional Flag Foundation distributes pamphlets with flag facts to schools. Last month, it launched an online education pilot program in Pittsburgh to teach characteristics of citizenship.
Educators are right to link patriotism with service to community, says Mike Gormalley, director of citizenship for the national Veterans of Foreign Wars.
“We have many, many men and women who are serving in the military and doing a great job, but there are also many, many people who give to their community and serve their country in that way,” he said.
Working locally
Reuben Vickers has served his country and his community. He figures that when the country doesn't need defending, it's time to work at home.
His post, 5662 Lawler Hanlon VFW in Newport, donates fans to the Salvation Army, sponsors softball teams and takes disabled veterans to Reds games.
Mr. Vickers has seen patriotism rise and fall. When he came home from the Pacific Theater after World War II, people hung out the windows to watch the parades. During Vietnam, crowds were sparse. These days, people are lining the streets again.
“Our post is trying to be more visible (in the community),” said Mr. Vickers, 72. “We want to show the image of what we are really about — home and family.”
A family legacy
Angela Dornbach takes patriotism seriously. It's a family legacy.
Her mother was deaf and had just a whisper of a voice, but Ms. Dornbach can remember her standing in their west-side living room, hand on heart, singing the national anthem with the TV audience before a Reds game.
“My mom was very proud to be an American and very proud of our country,” Ms. Dornbach recalled. “I remember standing at her knee, and she's singing the national anthem ... she taught me that before I was the age of 3.”
Ms. Dornbach also learned early on the sign-language gesture for America: fingers laced loosely together, hands simulating a waving flag.
On Abraham Lincoln's birthday, her mother made icing logs on top of a cake. George Washington's birthday meant cherry pie or hatchet-shaped cookies. And there was red Jell-O or a flag-decorated cake for the Fourth of July.
Ms. Dornbach has taken a different route in expressing her patriotism. She donates her time. Ms. Dornbach signs Mass at her parish. She helped found GRANMOTION, a song-and-dance group of grandmothers who perform for community and veterans groups.
One recent afternoon, Ms. Dornbach, 62, of Price Hill, taught her 2-year-old granddaughter to sing “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” They marched around the house, waving a flag. They talked about what the Fourth of July means.
“I told her that it was a day to wave the flag and (express) your patriotism,” Ms. Dornbach said. “I know my idea of patriotism is kind of old-fashioned, but this is my country, and I'm proud of it.”
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