On This July 4th....

Unlike some Americans, I don't use Independence Day as an excuse of a holiday just to drink. Because of my family's history in this great country, it means much, much more to me.

My family came over to this country from England on a ship after the Mayflower in the 1600's. Seeking religious freedom from Great Britain, my ancestors came to this unsettled country in search of a better life. They endured more than any one of us can even fathom just to be here. They took absolutely nothing for granted. They were far braver than I will ever be.....

They contributed to the settling of this country. As new generations were born, they made their way west. They founded towns in the midwest, they not only survived, but they struggled for greatness......they helped to make this country what it is. That alone makes me proud to live in America.

On this day in 1776 we adopted the Declaration of Independence - stating our separation from Great Britain. All of us who's ancestors were beside mine should have the same pride and excitement for this day as I do. To realize what we did hundreds of years ago is almost unimaginable now.

My family was in the military. They fought in the Civil War as Union Soldiers and were held captive at Andersonville Prison in Georgia. They fought for freedom, and what they believed in. It was humbling for me to walk through Andersonville nearly 150 years later - knowing that my distant Grandfather struggled to stay alive while here.




My Gradfathers were in the military in the 40's and not a day goes by I don't appreciate all they did for us....for my parents, their siblings, and now all of my cousins and their children.

(Phillip Reifschneider, my mother's father)


(Milford Chester Totten - left us July 2004)



My uncle fought in Vietnam.....bearing stories in his soul that no one will ever hear. For us, and for our country he endured terror.

And now we live in a much, much different world now. One I'm not so sure about some days. Where some people don't support our founding beliefs and morals. They don't all support our military overseas, fighting for us and for our freedom. THEY ARE FIGHTING FOR YOU!

I stand by what this country was founded on. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

This is not a freedom we should take for granted, and we should never forget that. Happy Independence Day America.