The fireworks, the picnic, the parade… all so enjoyable.

But after the fireworks faded into the night I awoke on July 5 thinking about Howard Schonberger’s column, “In this place that heroes call home,” July 3, pg. 7. Reminded of the men and women who deserve our honor, I was touched and grateful for the honor their lives expressed through sacrifice.

Perhaps it felt all the more immediate because of the Arizona Hotshots who were killed while in the service of others. In the United States we have much that is precious to protect and because of our veterans and others like the Hotshots we have had the power to protect what is precious.

A Canadian friend of ours honored our Independence Day by declaring: “I am grateful for the United States of America and for the powerful influence for good it has been in this world.”

I echo those words and add my tribute to yours, Howard, I thank God for the heroes among us and for the power of good they represent. Your words sparked a more lasting fire of patriotism, especially appropriate this July.

Peggy Butler, San Juan Island