Flying High on the 4th of July

July 2006

With all the barbecues, picnics and fireworks, who would work on Independence Day if they didn’t have to? Well, I do. Not only do I get paid time and a half, but the planes are half-empty. Besides, my wife is English, so how can I celebrate our independence from England when I voluntarily re-depended myself by marriage?

So I treat the Fourth of July as any other workday and, oddly enough, I usually end up on a layover in London. You would be surprised how many people over there celebrate the Fourth of July as a kind of “The Yanks are Gone” celebration.

One Fourth of July, a few years back, I was flying from the East Coast to the West Coast on a night flight. It was mostly empty, with many open seats, so I sat down next to a window and gazed out over the countryside. What I saw was an endless eruption of fireworks from small towns across the American Midwest. We positioned spotters by the windows to catch the show: one flight attendant on the left, another on the right. When one spotted fireworks, we would all gather around. We were like little kids at the fair. I thought about hayrides, parades and softball games. Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and the rest of the gang came to mind, and all of a sudden I regretted missing this holiday year after year.

I started to think about the real meaning of Independence Day. It is a time for celebrating our freedom, life and our families. Many of us may be unhappy with our country’s involvement with Iraq, or our leadership, or the current state of the economy, but this is truly a great country full of wonderful people. The very fact that we can voice our discontent without fear of repercussions is a liberty that not all nations possess. The Fourth is also a day to pray for the young men and women who are currently in the Middle East for our country, and it is also a good time to honor the ones who will not be returning.

Maybe you will miss this column. Perhaps you are out celebrating the holiday with people you care about. As for me, this year is different. This is my wife’s first year as a United States citizen, and it is our first year as parents, so I will turn down the extra pay. This year, I want to stand with my little boy in the middle of a crowd at dusk, vying for a good viewing spot, saying “Ooh!” and “Aaah!” with the crowd as the fireworks explode overhead — never minding the ashes in my eyes.

This year, I won’t fly on the Fourth of July. This year, I will celebrate enthusiastically on the ground and appreciate the real meaning of this holiday.

Happy Fourth of July! May you all be with your loved ones and may your fireworks be grand.

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