IN HONOR OF JULY 4TH

I'm proud to say that I am a descendant of Scotch-Irish pioneers that settled in Appalachia in the early 1700's, and helped form this country by fighting for independence in the Revolutionary War, and later in the Civil War

 This is William Henry Osborne, my Great Great Great Grandfather who died in a battle near Winchester Va. At the time, his wife was pregnant with what would be my Great Great Grandfather

This is my father James who joined the Army Air Corp as a teenager and fought in Korea. After being discharged from the Army, he joined the Navy. I was born in a Navy hospital, my mother worked for the Navy department at the pentagon, and many of my uncles served in the Navy.

Another uncle was an Air Force tail gunner in Korea. My uncle Fred was an Army Green Beret Medic that died in Vietnam.

My strong mountain ancestors left the comfort and seclusion of their mountain homes to serve our country, many of them had seldom left their home, let alone end up in a foreign country far away. I'm proud of their sacrifice and the sacrifice of their wives and children. They have given me and my children the freedom that we enjoy today. Precious freedom that we should all be vigilant to protect so that everything they fought for was not in vain.
I have made, or helped to make a few patriotic type quilts. The only one I still own is this one

This little log cabin flag was donated to my guild auction

I pieced this flag with New York Beauty blocks after September 11th. It was quilted by a guild friend, and the applique was done by another guild friend. It was auctioned at our guild auction in October of that year and the proceeds went to an education fund for the children who lost parents on Sept. 11th.

Me and several members of my guild got together and made this quilt for a Master Sgt. who was retiring from the Army (maybe Marines). Anyway, he helped coordinate distribution of Home of the Brave quilts to a Reserve Unit who lost many members in Iraq a couple of years ago.

Our country has faults, what country doesn't? But I still think it is the greatest country in the world. A place where if you work hard enough you can make your dreams come true. A country that you see others coming to build a new life. America is not a country that sees it's citizens fleeing for more freedom and prosperity somewhere else. There are few countries in the world that enjoy the freedoms that we have in America.

America is a place where you have the freedom to worship God or not, And in America you have the freedom to worship whatever God you choose without the fear of being martyred for it. America is a country where you can speak out against the government without the fear of being killed for it. Women come to America because they are free to be educated, to dress as badly as they want, and vote for whatever slimy politician that they like the best.

America is a country where, everyone has the freedom to make his or her own choices and mistakes and still have the opportunity for redemption and the opportunity to rebuild their lives.

I love my country. With all of it's problems, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I hope that when you are enjoying this special holiday with your families, you will reflect on the sacrifices of many who came before you. the men, women and their children who sacrificed so much so that we can enjoy what we have today. Don't take their sacrifices for granted.

Be vigilant to protect your freedom because there are many in the world that would like nothing better than to take that freedom from you.

Have a Happy Independence Day!!