A lot has happened in this nation since I was born. I’d like to share some of those from my point of view and memories. In 1960, Alan Shepherd was the first American in space. He was followed by five others of the original seven astronauts.

Three years later, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, and we still do not know what really happened. I was watching President Johnson be sworn in on Air Force One and did not know who he was. I looked at my brothers and told them that he was the man who killed the President. I still am not sure that I was wrong.

Before 1970, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins flew Apollo 11 to the moon, where Armstrong and Aldrin walked while Collins circled the satellite. Seven more times, Americans traveled to that world, landed, and returned to our planet. Many of you are surprised that we have not returned to that place. I knew we eventually would.

The conflict in Vietnam seemed that it would never end. President Nixon stopped our involvement in the fighting there in 1974. We accepted refugees from South Vietnam as their government collapsed, and those who had worked with us would be in danger once our military was gone.

In the late 1990s, we were told that computer chips in many electronic devices would fail when the calendars in them hit the year 2000. Manufacturers began the process of replacing all the antiquated equipment with ones that could roll over into the new century. The expected problems of January first were not realized.

Most of us have heard of the events of September 11, 2001, when we were attacked by people who despised our country and our freedoms. Our President George W. Bush eventually sent our troops into Afghanistan to deal with the terrorist group that used commercial aircraft as missiles of destruction, killing thousands. Those who planned the attacks were found and their lives ended.

COVID-19, a virus that was identified by a laboratory in China, took the lives of thousands across our world. Every developed nation attempted to find a treatment and a vaccine for this disease. Economies were impacted, and our government tried ineffectively to throw money at the problem.

Our Congress and Presidents were closing businesses, schools, travel, and asking all of us to quarantine if we might be ill and avoid leaving home unless necessary. We are still dealing with all the financial, political, and emotional difficulties that resulted from bad decisions across the world.

The United States has been a leader, even when others did not think they needed or wanted us to be. We have gained and maintained our integrity and greatness despite the foolishness of politics. It is up to us, the people, to vote intelligently and force our officials to listen to us. Keep working, voting, and being the decent human beings we all know we can be. Happy 250th anniversary, USA.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger