Keep Swinging!

Keep Swinging (april 8)

Today marks the anniversary of Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's home run record.  Hammerin' Hank reflected that "My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was to keep swinging."

Aaron's motto could accurately be dubbed America's motto. The American spirit has always included persistence, determination, and optimism in face of daunting odds. When we declared independence, it was against the greatest empire the world had ever seen. With a ragtag army, stationed on the outskirts of civilization, we were able to defeat the great military might of the British Empire.

We prevailed again in the War of 1812, survived the cataclysm of the Civil War, beat back German imperialism in WWI, and defeated Nazi Germany and imperial Japan in WWII. All the while, our future was not certain - but our determination to prevail was.

Today times are very tough - but with the right spirit, we have won in tougher times. We need to renew the American spirit - through efforts like Patriot Week  - to ensure we continue to win in the future.