From the Commanding Officer, Capt. Fred Goldhammer:

I had to share this Awesome Facebook message today with everyone, about what it means being American, from my son's US Navy Captain on the USS Reagan, Capt. Fred Goldhammer (below).

Well Said Sir!! Thank you, all of our Military Personnel, and Public Servants for your Service!!

Happy Birthday America!

From the Commanding Officer, Capt. Fred Goldhammer:

245 years ago, the Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 representatives from each of our original 13 colonies at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Today, you can see that actual document at the National Archives in Washington DC, alongside with our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These three documents form the foundation of our government and more importantly, our way of life.

The Declaration simply stated that we were no longer subject to the rule of England and its king – because their rule had failed to recognize the self-evident truths that all people are created equal, and that we are endowed by inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. For that reason, our forefathers committed to forming a united, free and independent nation – and so the birth of our nation is what we celebrate each year on the Fourth of July.

You gain a deeper appreciation of the risks that were taken that day, and the level of commitment made all those years ago when you take a closer look at who the people were that signed the Declaration of Independence – these 56 men weren’t zealots or radicals. They weren’t disenfranchised people railing against the establishment. They were well respected people in both English and colonial society. Many were wealthy. Many were well established in their careers as lawyers, merchants, farmers, doctors and even a scientist. All of them had families. All of them could have gone right along and enjoyed uneventful and comfortable lives. In other words - they were well off and had plenty to lose… and yet, each person put his name on that declaration – knowing full well that, if we were to lose the war of independence, they would be labeled by as traitors and they would have been hung; the same would happen to their friends as they would be labeled as collaborators - all the while being stripped of all of the money and lands, so that their families would be left with nothing. Nonetheless they did this because it was the right thing to do. They did this because they understood that there are things greater than each of us worth fighting for, and if necessary, worth dying for. Those “things” are the shared values that we all share onboard this ship, and what each of us raised our right hand in our individual commitment to defend.

The ideas of personal freedom, self-government and equality don’t come easy, and they don’t sustain without sacrifice. Just as the founding fathers weren’t perfect, neither is our nation nor any of us individually… but to dwell on the blemishes is to miss the whole point of the experiment that is the United States of America. What makes our nation, and us as Americans, unique is the fact that we use our common beliefs, anchored in tolerance, progress and freedom, as springboards to continuously evolve ourselves in meeting the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence, and later in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. That is something that no other nation or people can claim, and that we should always cherish and be proud of.

And so as we celebrate our nation’s birth while doing what FDNF Sailors do, at the tip of the spear while conducting our nation’s business – it’s important to take a moment and honor the legacy that each of those 56 patriots left behind on this day 245 years ago, as we remain firm in our resolve to uphold the very same ideals each day in our own lives through our actions.

Happy Independence Day to everybody, and Happy Birthday to the United States of America.

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