Last night I was outside watering my flowers and just enjoying a beautiful evening. \u00a0I took a few minutes to sit on the deck and bask in the solitude of the evening.\u00a0 The birds were stirring around the feeders, a few butterflies danced amid the blooming plants below and a couple squirrels chased each other up and down the wooden fence that borders our yard.\u00a0 My heart was at peace in this moment before me.<\/p>\n
Without warning, the popping and banging of a pack of fire crackers repetitiously exploding in the distance, broke my solitude.\u00a0 For an instant, I was startled and frozen in place, along with the rest of the activity in my backyard.\u00a0 And then, the tension eased and quiet settled in again.<\/p>\n
A couple questions were triggered in me during this moment.\u00a0 Why do we shoot off fireworks?\u00a0 According to an article in USA Today<\/em> by staff writer Tierney Sneed,<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026fireworks have been a tradition of America’s Fourth of July celebrations since the country’s inception, with the founding fathers themselves seeing fireworks fit to mark the birth of their nation.<\/p>\n In a July 3, 1776 letter to his wife,\u00a0John Adams declared\u00a0that the signing of the Declaration of Independence should be a “great anniversary Festival” and “solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”<\/p>\n There certainly is a celebratory feel to fireworks and we don\u2019t mind spending money that will literally go up in smoke to commemorate the day.\u00a0 Fireworks captivate our senses – their various loud shrieks, whistles, pops, and bangs; their brilliant, sparkling colors that rain down from the sky like glitter, the cloud of smoke and smell of gunpowder that lingers in the air long after the pomp and circumstance is over. Who wouldn\u2019t like this kind of party?<\/p>\n What a thrill to be a spectator at the big hometown 4th<\/sup> of July fireworks celebration!\u00a0 There\u2019s loud music, performances, food vendors, and the grand finale fireworks display artistically orchestrated by a trained pyrotechnic crew. On a smaller scale, neighborhoods and families organize 4th<\/sup> of July get-togethers where the little kids twirl sparklers and firecrackers are popping throughout the day.\u00a0 Many people anticipate and enjoy participating in the holiday festivities.<\/p>\n But what happens when the holiday celebration starts the week before the Fourth and doesn\u2019t stop until the end of July?\u00a0 How does the unexpected sound of something similar to gunfire and missiles affect someone who\u2019s not anticipating it?\u00a0 In this scenario, the price of fireworks may get very expensive.\u00a0 According to Jackie Maffucci of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a leading authority on PTSD and veteran suicide, \u00a0\u201c \u2026. vets are especially vulnerable to things like unexpected backyard fireworks that an individual doesn\u2019t anticipate and can\u2019t even get prepared for.\u201d<\/p>\n Cory Siemeszko, in an article for NBC News agrees.\u00a0 He states, \u201cThat applies to a lot of Americans, as one in five of the approximately 2.5 million veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan — or approximately 500,000 former military members — have been diagnosed with PTSD, a psychiatric disorder caused by experiencing or witnessing life-threatening events like military combat.\u00a0 It causes some sufferers to relive the trauma. In others, it provokes feeling of isolation or rage. \u00a0And in other cases, it leads to substance abuse, depression and a host of other psychological and physical problems.\u201d<\/p>\n NBC News concluded that it\u2019s not that veterans don\u2019t want people to have fun.\u00a0 Many vets will celebrate the day igniting their own fireworks.\u00a0 \u201cBut when you get woken up at two, three o\u2019clock in the morning, it brings back those memories,\u201d said Marine veteran Kevin Rhoades, when interviewed by NBC.\u00a0 The military men and women who selfishly serve our country to protect the freedom we have become accustomed to, deserve compassion and respect.\u00a0 Before you shoot off those left-over bottle rockets at the family reunion at the end of July, think about who might be listening and how it might affect them.<\/p>\n