Letter to the Editor: America’s strength lives in ordinary citizens who serve others
As we prepared to celebrate our nation’s birthday—marking 250 years since the founding of our Republic—my family, at my son’s insistence, watched “The Patriot,” “John Adams,” and “Gettysburg.”
Each reminded me how fragile our nation’s beginning was, and how much courage, sacrifice, disagreement, and resolve it took to create a constitutional republic that has endured for 250 years. It filled me with renewed pride in our country, our community, and the freedoms we celebrate every Fourth of July.
On Independence Day, that pride was reinforced unexpectedly. As evening settled in, I stepped outside to close our backyard gate and noticed flames coming from my neighbor’s garage. I ran down the hill and watched as the fire engulfed the structure.
Within moments, the Monroe Police Department was on scene, securing the area. Soon after, the Monroe Fire Department, joined by neighboring departments and emergency responders, arrived and went to work. Standing there, I was struck not by fear, but by gratitude.
There was a remarkable calm in knowing they were doing exactly what they had trained countless hours to do. They moved with professionalism, courage, and purpose while my neighbors faced one of the most difficult moments of their lives.
When I was Mayor, I witnessed a devastating fire in our village—one in which three precious lives were tragically lost. I will never forget the firefighters, volunteer EMTs, police officers, and supporting agencies working through unimaginable circumstances, answering the call to serve.
Those experiences reminded me that America’s strength has never rested solely in founding documents. It lives in ordinary citizens who serve others, leaving their families on holidays and in life’s important moments to protect neighbors they may never have met.
As our nation celebrates 250 years, we rightly honor those who founded this Republic. But we should also honor those who preserve it every day: our military, police officers, firefighters, EMTs, dispatchers, and their families. Thank you for reminding us that America’s promise lives on through service, sacrifice, courage, and love of neighbor.
Neil Dwyer
Monroe