2021-22 Patriot’s Pen Essay Karlie A. Barnes, 1st Place Winner
6th Grade • Whitney Middle School, Whitney, Texas Post Sponsor: 12176-Whitney • District Sponsor: 29
“How Can I Be A Good American?” THE QUESTION OF “HOW CAN I BE A GOOD AMERICAN” can be answered with one word— ”Remember.” Remember what my freedom cost and remember to appreciate it.
food and water, and more that came at a cost at one time. Now when my family goes shopping or goes on adventures, we like to look up the history of things related to that so we can know more about it and so we can remember.
Every morning when I am getting ready for school, brushing my hair and my teeth, I can hear the brake release on my dad’s wheelchair. That sound is something so familiar that I can pick it out in a grocery store several aisles over during the busiest time of day. That sound happens because after surviving the war, my daddy came home in a wheelchair with legs that did not work the way they did when he left. Being a good American is remembering that every day, talking about the value of his sacrifice and remembering to tell him that he is valued.
Remembering, to me, means a lot more several times a year. My daddy was in New York when 9/11 happened many years before I was born so we remember that day for what happened, what came from it and what we became as country after it. The day my daddy became paralyzed is another day that we remember. We remember it as a day that the plan for his life changed and was given a new purpose because we believe in my house that everything has a purpose for the Glory of our Savior.
My daddy tells me often that learning about history is important because if we do not remember how we got to this time then we won’t appreciate the cost that it came with. I have been learning more about American history this school year and there are so many things that I get to have freely and easily like clothes,
My family has taught me that even though we have a very different life because of where we came from, it is important to remember that all families are like this. Every family has a story of where they came from and how they made it to here and being a good American means remembering that every day.
This year, 4,928 students participated in the Patriot’s Pen program. $75,985 in awards were given plus $10,800 in expenses for a total spent on the program of $86,785. 2nd Place Winner—Luke M. Leman 6th Grade • Leman Homeschool, Iola, Texas Post Sponsor: 4006–Navasota District Sponsor: 17
3rd Place Winner—Riley D. Towell 7th Grade • Ponder Jr. High School, Ponder, Texas Post Sponsor: 1475–Amarillo District Sponsor: 9
4th Place Winner—Bayli R. Yousko L-R: Duane Sarmiento, Jr Vice Commander-in-Chief; Tracy Wilder, Auxiliary President, Post 12176, District 29; Christopher Davis, District 29 Commander, Post 4819; 1st Place Winner Karlie Barnes; Norman Macey, State Commander; Karen Kaylor, State Auxiliary President; and Sissy Borel, Past National Auxiliary President.
8th Grade • Whitesboro Intermediate School, Whitesboro, Texas Post Sponsor: 1922–Gainesville District Sponsor: 1
W i n t e r 2 0 2 2 Te x a s V F W E - N e w s
21
