{Happy 238th Birthday USA! - GOD BLESS AMERICA}

Wishing all Citizens of the United States of America a very Happy 238th Independance Day!

This is last year's photo from our home with the US and Georgia flags displayed, for the 237th 4th of July...

A happy husband Pieter in 2004, with our foster-daughter Anita from Indonesia in front of the Liberty Bell in Pennsylvania...
She stayed with us for two months after she graduated from the University Dian Nuswantoro of Semarang

video showing the very first public singing of 'GOD BLESS AMERICA' by Kate Smith Happy 4th of July!

Related links:
{Anita Anggraeni our Foster Daughter} | previous post by me
{1903 Ladies Home Journal by Edward Bok - The Mother of America & Dutch American Heritage Day} | previous post by me 

{237th Independence Day for the United States of America - GOD BLESS AMERICA} | previous post by me
{4th of July Speech given by my husband Pieter} | previous post by me with husband Pieter's speech on the 4th of July to the people of Laurens County about our Immigration to the USA
{Happy 236th Birthday USA!} | previous post by me
{The Dutch 1st to Salute to the Flag of The United States in 1776} | previous post by me
{Dutch - American Heritage Day: November 16 since 1991} | previous post by me about official Proclamation by President George Bush

{237th Independence Day for the United States of America - GOD BLESS AMERICA}

Wishing all readers in the United States of America a very happy 4th of July as we celebrate our nation's 237th Independence Day! Sharing some photos with you, taken on the 4th of July of 2012. Our home looks different this year but you will get to see that later. Don't forget to watch the 1940 video below with Kate Smith singing: GOD BLESS AMERICA

Flying the Georgia State flag and the United States flag in front of our home.

Happy 4th of July!

The link below will take you to a video showing the very first public singing of 'GOD BLESS AMERICA'. But before you watch, you should also know the story of the song.

The song was originally written by Irving Berlin in 1918 while he served in the U.S. Army at Camp Upton in Yaphank, New York. It was later rewritten in 1938 as a peace song with 'some alterations to reflect the different state of the world' during a time when Nazi Germany was threatening war with Europe.

'God Bless America' was originally introduced and performed live on Armistice Day, November 11, 1938 by Kate Smith on her radio program. It became an immediate hit resulting in popular demand for the sheet music. Afterwards, Berlin established the God Bless America Fund where proceeds from royalties were donated to the Boy and Girl Scouts of America. Read more about it: Kate Smith and her God Bless America, Land That I Love and also about her Awards received as she was honored by every President. Read more here: Kate Smith, just scroll down...

NOW HERE IS HOW 'GOD BLESS AMERICA' SHOULD BE SUNG!

Related links:

{4th of July Speech given by my husband Pieter} | previous post by me
{Happy 236th Birthday USA!} | previous post by me
{The Dutch 1st to Salute to the Flag of The United States in 1776} | previous post by me
{Dutch - American Heritage Day: November 16 since 1991} | previous post by me about official Proclamation by President George Bush

{Happy 236th Birthday USA!}

The 4th of July will be our nation's 236th Birthday, so we will fly the flags again; both the United States and Georgia Flag. For my post of last year's 4th of July, (link you find below) I used the speech my husband Pieter did deliver to our city on the 4th of July in 1994. That will give you a lot more information. Here I just want to show you our flags as we flew them last year. Timely for this year's post. Both of us are very proud to be Dutch by birth and American by choice. The very fact that the Dutch, of any nation, have the longest uninterrupted friendly relation with the USA makes us also proud. Also the Dutch were the first to salute the American flag; read more about that in the link below this post.

Happy 236th Birthday Uncle Sam!

Proudly flying the United States and Georgia State Flags...

To the left you see the big magnolia leaves as I'm standing next to the tree.

Photos are taken around 18:00 o'clock.

We still had green grass early July...

White hibiscus blooming.

Nice view of the white gingerbread in our front porch.

View from the driveway...

Our patriotic felines, Spicy (l) and Sacha (r).

Little Tiggy-Tiger, Sacha's sister, sitting inside the roll of garden hose... She is our mini cat.

Sacha looking down from the front porch...

That's it!

Do you (if American) also fly the flag(s)?

Hope you have a very Happy 4th of July!

Related link:

4th of July Speech given by my husband Pieter

{4th of July Speech given by my husband Pieter}

Worthwhile sharing this speech by my husband Pieter, given to the people of Laurens County, prior to the fireworks.

The 4^th of July 1994

The United States and Georgia State Flag on July 4th 2002
Those weeping ilex trees are no more...

Thanks for the kind introduction; now you know almost all about the two of us. For the introduction of a speaker a typical question always is, what is exactly your title? In a certain booklet we found that there actually is no prouder title then to be an American citizen. Although the weather is not cooperating too well, today we have something really important to celebrate as you all know, we celebrate Uncle Sam's 218^th Birthday; the birth of this great nation.

In the introduction you have heard that we are new Americans, although we came to this country already in '83. My wife's love affair with the U.S.A. started in April of '83; her very first visit to the New World. Some Campbell Soup people taught her at that time some history by visiting Rockford, MI, where president Ford grew up. They thought maybe she was homesick and thus they brought her to Holland in MI.

Holland Michigan on the shore of Lake Michigan

She was not homesick but just absorbing all she could about this fascinating new world. One of the highlights was the visit to Chestnut Street in Philadelphia; to the Independence Hall; the home of the Liberty Bell, a shrine of patriotism for all Americans. There we learned more about Life with a capital L and also about Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Pieter with  our foster-daughter Anita, in 2004 in front of the Liberty Bell

View from the Hershey hotel in Philadelphia where we stayed

  The next day we flew to Dublin, GA and there we fell deeper and deeper in love with the New World.

From Camden, New Jersey we flew on the Learjet from Campbell Soup to Dublin, Georgia on Saturday, April 23 of 1983
Wearing my red Campbell jacket...

So in August of '83 we came to live here. This was our pursuit of Happiness. Last year (1993) we got our American citizenship and since then we can say: we are Dutch by birth and American by choice and we are proud of both. There are a couple of reasons for that pride. Maybe you didn't know but the Dutch, of any nation, have the longest uninterrupted friendly relationship with the U.S.A. and for sure we like to keep it that way. It was on Nov. 16 in 1776 that the ford on the Dutch island of St. Eustatius in the Caribbean returned the salute from the American warship Andrew Doria, as it entered the harbour. This was the first salute by a foreign power to the flag of the U.S.A. of America. As the history books say: this was a very courageous action by the Dutch and it enhanced the diplomatic credibility of the U.S.A. It also gave a strong boost to the moral of the revolutionary troops. So, today it is 218 years ago that the U.S.A. has been founded. In the Dutch tradition, Birthdays always are important events, often celebrated with an all day open house, birthday gifts etc. A good question, not only for us but for all immigrants could be: why did you come to the U.S.A? What did we expect to find here what we eventually didn't have in the country where we lived before? Although a lot of things have changed since then, the answer will be more or less identical to what brought the founding fathers to this part of the world over 200 years ago. The most important reason for them was the freedom and the space to live in the broadest sense. The freedom to believe in God in different ways; the freedom to have your own opinion, the opportunity to develop yourself up to the limits etc. On this Birthday we should never forget that the founding fathers and after them numerous immigrants have for sure not chosen the easiest way. They didn't find a paradise; they just found a place with almost unlimited opportunities but they had to be explored. Very important also is that their freedom was based on a strong moral and on personal responsibility. That, in combination with hard work, made this country into what it is today; in our opinion the best country to live in. We have a number of good reasons to make this statement. As you perhaps know, or picked up from the introduction, for our job we traveled, and still do, all over the world and lived in several countries We lived in Dublin from '83 through '88 and after that in Italy and Indonesia. We more and more discovered what a great country the U.S.A. is to live in; we got homesick and looked for every opportunity to return. With O'Henry contribute our share in what the founding fathers once started. They worked hard to develop this country, made it prosperous and a better place to live. They installed and maintained high moral values, based on a strong believe in God. They've shown the world that they could handle their freedom. Our forefathers didn't contribute frivolous gifts to this country. So, let's celebrate this Birthday of our nation not only with a spectacular firework but let's wrap up a big box for Uncle Sam, containing: A huge amount of humility, a lot of tolerance, respect for each other and patience, the most of integrity and compassion and a strong will to share freely with others.

Thank you  Founding Fathers.

Happy Birthday Uncle Sam; we love this country. May God bless this nation and all of us.

Pieter J.C. Vedder

Also for today, Happy 235th Birthday United States of America!!!

Related link:

Flying Over Our Home and Campbell Mushroom Plant that Pieter Designed | later post by me

Husband Pieter's 1994, 4th of July Speech | later post by me with actual video of speech