Put Opportunities The Nation Provides To Good Use With The Privileges Of American Citizenship Come Responsibilities

I stand beside my basketball teammates and begin to hear The Star-Spangled Banner. I look around and see people softly singing or gazing at the flag. The song seems to spark pride and loyalty in people of all ages.

I look back up at the flag and think of all the citizens that have faced and overcome the many difficulties that have made this country the great nation it is today. I think for awhile and the following question enters my mind: What is my role as an American citizen? I contemplate the question and decide that my role is to contribute to society. There are different ways I can contribute to society: physically, financially and morally.

Participating in organizations and volunteering are ways I can physically contribute to society. Organizations usually focus on specific activities and help build a better community. They allow people to voice their opinions on matters that are important to them.

Volunteering for an organization benefits many people and can make their lives easier. Cleaning up litter, assisting an elderly person, tutoring, recycling, voting and general serving the community are physical contributions.

Money is unimportant when it comes to things like love and family, but it is important in my role as a citizen. My financial contributions include paying taxes and bills, while being a self-supporting citizen who is responsible with money.

Finding employment is feasible with an educational background. Therefore, I believe it it my duty to obtain a valuable education that will allow me to be a self-supporting citizen.

Moral values are very important today in a nation filled with violence and irrational people. A responsibility I have as a citizen is to treat all people with respect and kindness.

I will one day have children and it is my obligation to bring them up with high moral values. My generation and future generations need to be aware and stop the insanity in the world today in order to have a secure and caring environment for all people.

Respecting the men and women who have died and fought for the freedom we have today is also a contribution. When my nation is at war, I need to defend and support the people of my country. These contributions will benefit society because, in the world today, respect and kindness go a long way.

The United States offers freedom and opportunities to all people. I am fortunate enough to be one of these people. I have unlimited opportunities available to me and the choice of what I want to do with my life.

Hand in hand with the privilege of being an American citizen comes the responsibility of fulfilling my role as a citizen. My contributions to society - physically, financially and morally - are realistic roles I can fulfill. We as responsible citizens need to take the initiative in caring for our country, because it is in the hand of its citizens that the destiny of the United States lies.

MEMO: Editor’s note: Elizabeth A. Hille wrote this first-place essay for the American Legion Auxiliary’s Americanism Contest. She is a student at Ritzville High School.