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H-BC's Martinyuk selected as winner of 2021 Voice of Democracy

By
Lori Sorenson

Hills-Beaver Creek essay writer Jenifer Martinyuk earned a $100 prize for her winning entry in the Voice of Democracy VFW District writing contest.
Martinyuk’s essay, “America’s Gift to My Generation Is Pride,” was first in the local VFW contest, which qualified her for the district level competition.
 
‘America's Gift to My Generation Is Pride’
By Jenifer Martinyuk
Have you ever thought about the accomplishments that our country has made? The people we’ve lost? The hardships we went through? Our country has been through so much and look how everything turned out. Just thinking about all the accomplishments gives me pride.
This country gave me the gift of pride. This country has had many people serve and give their lives. This country has freedom. Here we are safe. This is America.
America is so great, it is so free, because of the leaders and people who have helped. The
people in our country yet to this day still help make our country a better place. Even 200 years ago, there were great people striving, giving their lives to make America great. In 1775 the American Revolution started. The American Revolution is what made our country indivisible.
America represents many great things, and the people in our country made that happen by working together as one.
In the lyrics of the American National Anthem, it states, “O’er the land of the free, and home of the brave.” America is free. Americans are free to vote, free to get an education, to do even little things as in driving. America is a free country where men and women are treated equally. Our National Anthem and our flag both have a part in our beloved country’s freedom.
America is safe. America is safe due to our strong economic nation and our national security partnerships around the world. In the American Constitution, it states that America will “provide for the common defense.” Both our President and Congress have great responsibilities for this field. Our country is very educated and will always look for ways to solve problems without causing conflict. Being safe is definitely one of the most important things America cares about.
This country gave me the gift of pride. Many people in this country have either served or lost someone who has served for our country. Every day we thank them for caring, giving us freedom, and keeping us safe. Have you thought about our country? What America stands for?
The people who helped make America great? Thank you, veterans, thank you, leaders, thank you people for giving me pride. Bless this indivisible nation under God, with liberty and justice for all.
 
Second- and third-place Voice of Democracy essays were submitted by H-BC’s Britton McKenzie and Leif Tollefson, respectively.
The VFW essay writing contest included a middle school competition, The Patriot’s Pen. H-BC writers Olivia Deelstra, Hadley Spath and Hailey Moser won first-, second- and third-place honors respectively. Deelstra’s first-place local essay follows here:
 
‘How to Be a Good American’
By Olivia Deelstra
I am glad to be an American, but I wonder if I am a good American all the time. I want to challenge myself to be a better American, but how do I do this? One way I can be a good American is doing the right thing even when it’s hard to do. One thing I can do is stand for the flag that so many of our veterans died for.
Our veterans had to do the right thing even when it was hard. For example, fighting in the war, losing their lives, and being separated from their families. Putting my hand over my heart is not much of a sacrifice but it’s the least I can do to be a good American.
I am proud to be an American by showing respect for soldiers and thanking them for their service. I can’t thank them personally every single day, but I can thank them by using the freedoms they gave me to honor them. For example, I can use my freedom of speech to show thanks and express respect to my teachers who give me my free education. I can use my freedom of religion to pray to God for protection of the soldiers and my country. Respecting the freedom of our veterans is the perfect way to be a good American.
In order to be a good American, we need to make sure that we take care of our country that our veterans fought for. In the past few years many Americans have broken, burned and destroyed buildings and structures that our fellow Americans have built. By doing this, we are showing disrespect for our veterans and our country.
Instead of burning down buildings and being mad at each other because of our different opinions, we can be better Americans by respecting others’ opinions and honoring our veterans and our country.
Doing the right thing when no one is looking and showing respect for our country is being a good American. Every day we have the opportunity to be a good American by putting your hand over your heart, using your freedom of speech to spread kindness, and making sure to honor and respect our veterans. If we do all these things, we can be a good American and live peacefully in the United States of America.
 
Established in 1947, the Voice of Democracy essay program provides high school students with the opportunity to enter a democratic and patriotic-themed essay for a chance to win scholarship money. The first place national writer is awarded a $30,000.
The Patriot’s Pen essay contest encourages middle school students to share their views on America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society.
The top three winning essays in the Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen contests are:
 
Hadley Spath
How to be a good American
As a 13-year-old American girl, I know that I have endless opportunities to make my country proud. Each and every one of us has different ways of showing and proving how to be good Americans.
People will show how to be a good American by what they believe is important. My parents taught me to support our military, show pride in where I come from, and honor who sacrificed and died for my freedom. These three values have helped me to develop into what I believe is a good American.
I know I will never be able to thank the military enough for what they have done for us, but I do know that I can show them support by honoring those who have died while fighting for our freedom. I can show support by saying thank you to our veterans, celebrating Veterans Day, and acknowledge all they’ve done for our country. In my opinion, veterans do not get the attention and thanks they deserve for their service, because they are the reason that our country is the land of the free.
I am proud to be an American, so showing pride in our country is extremely important. We can hang the flag in our front yard to show that we are proud to represent the red, white, and blue. My favorite way to show my pride for my country is to celebrate the Fourth of July. Whenever I see the fireworks go off, I feel a sense of honor and pride knowing that our veterans gave us this amazing country. It reminds me that freedom didn’t come without a price. We should be happy for all the freedom we have, because the veterans gave us that freedom when they were fighting. We should always show pride in our country, because we have the most freedom out of all the countries.
Lastly, it is absolutely crucial that we honor the people that sacrificed and died for our freedom.
Standing for the flag, and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is the simplest way we can honor our veterans. Doing this shows our veterans that we care and that we remember. We remember their sacrifice and the freedom they’ve given us. I will never want to stop supporting the military, showing pride, and honor who sacrificed and died for our freedom.
By Haily Moser
I am definitely proud to be an American, but is everyone? When I think about being a good American, a couple things stand out to me: honoring the flag and all the differences we have, supporting our people who fight for our freedom, and being united in race and gender. Everyone can say they're a good American, but the challenge is to prove it. To me these things are important because they are actions, and actions always speak louder than words.
The flag resembles those who served and died fighting for our freedom. It's important to honor and respect the flag. Since June 14, 1777 we have been honoring the flag and still continue to. On that day the Continental Congress approved the nation's flag. Soon after that president Harry Truman signed it into law, that June 14 was national flag day. It's important to remember that our flag stands for our freedom.
Soldiers that are fighting for our freedom deserve our support, honor, and respect. They are fighting to protect our nation and freedoms. Today about 20 veterans commit suicide a day and about 30,177 this year because of the traumatic things they saw and had to do in wars fighting for us. In Afghanistan 13 soldiers died in a bombing attack at the Kabul airport, allowing 117,000 people to get to safety. Our soldiers go through more than we could ever imagine, and deserve our respect and support.
In our free country we have many differences which is an honor. Some countries only allow one kind of race and only one belief, that's what makes America so great. In today's world we have over 10 different races in America and a bunch of different beliefs. Everyone should be really grateful for our soldiers, because they are the ones who gave us these incredible freedoms. Honoring and respecting our diversity is an action we can all take to be a good American.
It is clear that actions speak louder than words and if we all work together, we can make America even more great. Being a good American can mean different things to everyone but the most important thing to me is being thankful for the great and free country we have today. It's important to remember the journey of how we got this free country and who all went down fighting for it.
By Britton McKenzie
History class is full of dates of different tragedies, wars, and catastrophes. Though there
is one year in history that gives a more exclusive message of unity and freedom, 1776. Ask just about any American citizen and this date is instantly recognizable as our country's birth year. The year our founding fathers stood their ground against a world superpower in the name of their freedoms. We have come so far throughout the last 245 years. As a country we have been through civil war, division, economic ruin, and several civil rights movements. As we stand looking over our downfalls and accomplishments we have to ask ourselves, what now.
As a nation we need to act so that we can fix the rift in our country, to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. We should all try to be more considerate and accepting toward people, thoughts, and opportunities. This could let new partnerships blossom and then true change can happen. Although change is inevitable we must hold onto what makes America,
America, and defend that at all costs. The future is uncertain and we must make sure we are built to withstand it. The accomplishment of these goals will lead to the continued existence of our way of life as the founding fathers would have wanted.
In modern day America most of us are quite closed off from opportunities because of political reasons. We need to be more open and accepting towards other thoughts and people.
This ideology can bring us together and help end the widespread division that has not plagued us since the times of the Civil War. Lincoln once said that I'm a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down. With just a small amount of kindness we can lift up our fellow countrymen and women. Working together to build the American utopia the founding fathers envisioned back in 1776. Although this task seems insurmountable, as Americans we all have the same basic ideals that we can rally behind. We all love freedom. Despite our differences, we need to be ready to open our hearts and work with others to propel us towards the future. Even though we will be united, that doesn't mean our job as Americans will cease.
We must be ready to defend our freedoms and our country. This country was founded on freedom of speech and religion. If those freedoms are to be lost then we will lose the soul of our nation. Out of all of our ideals democracy is at the heart. The second that we lose our right to vote is the second that we lose America. The battle to maintain those rights are ongoing and must prevail. In the most extreme conditions we must defend our rights with the military. In those scenarios there will be heroes who stand up and fight for our freedoms. We need to make sure that we stand by to support the military and those who are and are not active duty. The freedoms of Americans are inviolable and must be protected. Once the state of our nation is secured we will have to look towards the future.
America needs to make sure that we are ready to face the next disaster. As a nation we
have been crippled by the covid 19 pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost their lives and millions lost their jobs. This is not the first time we have been hurt by disasters, and we need to be ready to react so that we can save lives. Between hurricanes, viruses, earthquakes, fires, and more we should make emergency precautions to save the lives of countless Americans. Not to mention there are man-made emergencies such as war and missiles.
Most important of all we need to prepare the next generation, for they will be the backbone of our society. Their minds are malleable and must be taught correctly and must have the materials to succeed that way they can lead not just themselves but future generations into a better tomorrow. With their help we can achieve almost anything.
America is one of the greatest countries without a doubt. With the help of one another we
can make America the best country. We need to work together with not just ourselves but the rest of the nations of the world. While we unite we will keep our nation at heart and in mind by
staying free, and using our freedom to better ourselves and the America of tomorrow. These
goals will make America the greatest country ever. The type of country that makes the founding
fathers proud. The type of country that may one day live up to the precedent of 1776.
By Leif Tollefson
When a loved one dies accepting it can be hard, but eventually you have to. If you linger
in the past you will never grow, and you won’t ever move on, but that doesn’t mean that you
have to forget. Once you move on however, it’s hard to look back, and you are never the same.
Suddenly the things that you once held dear are dropped and forgotten. Then, eventually, you find new hobbies, meet more people, and you move on. In the same way, the history of the
United States is like losing a loved one.
Looking to the past to find answers is often times the best strategy to overcome a difficult
situation. In the past the United States has been bonded in the iron-grip strength of kinship. On
the other end of the spectrum the United States has been as far apart as the Earth from the Sun. If we are to move forward we need to realize that sometimes our life isn’t going as well as we’d like it to, and there’s strength in realizing your flaws.
In the past the United States has been a pillar of liberty and freedom, and we still are.
However other countries have adopted our philosophies and freedoms and we are no longer as far ahead. To be as great as we can be, we need to introduce better policies that will help us move back to center stage in the world theater. Sometimes to move on, you need to understand that you can’t remain stuck in the past, and you can’t linger on less important matters.
You may be wondering; how can we grab the spotlight on the world theater? To answer
this question I think of something that my mom always says to me; “Be a problem solver, not a
problem finder.” This means that you should solve problems rather than just notice them and
complain. I feel like this doesn’t just apply to the US, but also the entire world. Most countries
have acknowledged that climate change is a problem, but hardly anyone is doing anything about it. There are a myriad of other problems that have yet to be addressed, such as more efficient energy sources other than fossil fuels, which are very abundant, but eventually they will run out.
To move on you have to actually make an effort, you can’t just sit and wallow in your sadness, but sometimes it’s difficult to solve problems all by yourself. You need the help of others. That’s what makes our nation so great, we are united. It’s difficult to move on if you never make an attempt.
The US is far from perfect, but who’s to say we can’t try our hardest to reach perfection.
The US was built on the backs of people who were striving for perfection, and many people were lost along the way. Moving on from tremendous loss can be difficult, but it is necessary to grow and expand to new horizons. It’s also important to not forget where you came from as well. The United States has always been a land of opportunity, and a pillar of liberty and freedom, but lately we’ve been falling apart and we should be coming together. I hope that in the future, we can become, just like our name suggests, united.

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