Commentary by Michael Andrzejewski

The North Jefferson News



Editor’s note: The following guest commentary was submitted by Michael Andrzejewski, a Gardendale High School student who graduated from West Point Military Academy. He and his wife, Nina, are now in Portugal serving as missionaries.

My wife Nina recently paused to muse about the similarities between herself and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, the recently nominated vice-presidential candidate for the Republican Party.

In the process, she found only two things that she had in common with Gov. Palin.

She reasoned, “I have five children and we both married our high school sweethearts.”

Though the similarities ended there (though they share many more qualities including strength, beauty and commitment), it led me to consider if I held anything in common with her boss, the 72-year-old man running for president.

In the interest of disclosure, I must say that lately I have become increasingly impressed with Sen. John McCain. Without provocation, I have routinely told friends and relatives that the more I discover about him, the more impressed and endeared I am to him.

While I would never consider myself worthy to be compared to him, like Nina and Gov. Palin, we share a few things in common.

What do Sen. McCain and I have in common? (Go on. Zing me a witty one-liner via e-mail before finishing the column.)

First, we both graduated from service academies with less than stellar marks and more demerits than either of us wanted. I graduated from the USMA at West Point, N.Y. as a regrettable member of the century club, which is reserved for those select few who needed a little more military discipline.

Similarly, Sen. McCain graduated from the USNA at Annapolis, MD in the bottom 1 percent of his class.

Second, we share a greater love for the United States of America that was born out of time spent in a foreign country.

No, I’m not suffering. No, I haven’t been tortured. No, I’m not incarcerated because I am an American.

However, when McCain divulged, “I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else’s,” his words resonated deep within my soul, serving as a clarification of true patriotism.

Again, I’m no prisoner. Instead, I serve the Lord Jesus Christ unashamedly and am willing to follow wherever He leads.

As a result of His leading, I have learned a greater love for my country. Not because of McDonald’s or Wal-Mart, but because of an American work ethic, ingenuity, freedom to assemble, bear arms and vote in a representative republic.

People here in Portugal know America is great, but they have little insight as to why. They often harbor a great resentment toward the land of the free and the home of the brave.

I love my country more now for what made her great, and I’m thankful to know there are some still fighting who want to keep her great.

You may not like John McCain or his ideals, but please respect his wisdom and service to the nation and his commitment to keep America great, rather than lowering her to the common socialistic denominator of much of the rest of the world.

And, by chance, if you question your love for America, come visit us for a while and maybe, just maybe, that love will grow.