The mission of JROTC is to motivate young people to be better citizens. Formerly the mission statement encouraged young people to be better Americans. While I cannot delineate the reasoning for this change, the semantics of it seem to me to be of little consequence. We are here to motivate young people to be better American citizens, it’s clear to me.

When you ask an American on the street what it means to be a good citizen, invariably the conversation turns toward the issue of voting. “If you don’t vote, you have no right to complain about what goes on in government,” is the battle cry for this group. And so, millions of uneducated (on the candidates and issues) voters cancel each other’s votes at every election while performing their patriotic duty as American citizens.

No, being a good American citizen goes far beyond the act of voting. We often hear about values and attributes of certain cultures, but rarely do we speak of the values and attributes we share as Americans. Have you ever considered what makes us, as Americans, different from other peoples throughout the world? Haven’t you ever noticed that Americans have a streak of independence a level above the average Lee, Joe (Stalin), or (Queen) Liz ?

If you haven’t noticed, I’m here to tell you that independence and freedom is what America and Americans are all about. Part of this can be attributed, I’m sure, to our geographical independence from most of the world, which contributed to our history, which, in turn, led to the writing of some extremely important founding documents. These founding documents outline these values about which I am alluding and would like to emphasize.

Understanding that our Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, is an essential part of this overall theme, I, nonetheless, would like to zero in on the Declaration of Independence. Our Declaration has many ingredients that spell out values that are truly American. Meditate on these and you’ll realize all the more what it means to be an American citizen. As you act according to these characteristics, you become a better citizen.

          Americans believe that all men are created equal (laws not consistent with this value could not stand in the United States);

          Americans believe that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights (it’s significant to note that these rights come from the Creator, not the government);

          Americans believe in the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (the latter is otherwise known as capitalism);.

          Americans believe that governments are instituted to secure these rights (not grant them – the Creator granted them);

          And Americans believe that governments properly derive their power by the consent of the people.