I was taken back in time by an email that was sent to me about the song “God Bess America” sung by Kate Smith. Most people don’t know about this famous person who brought America back from it’s defeatist attitude to a more patriotic feeling during World War 2.

I was only 6 or 7 years old when I heard the song. In school we used to sing it before classes to get us in a patriotic mood. During assemblies at the elementary level, it was sung to an audience mostly Hispanics who started listening to the words and understanding the meaning of American beliefs. I was starting to learn English at that time but after a while I got to learn the lyrics.

Those same people had their sons already in the military and were very worried about what will happen to them. My uncles, Carlos Cortez, who served in the Pacific and Ismael Reynosa who was in Europe had already been drafted. They probably heard it on the radio also.

When I was a little older, I joined the Boy Scout program. During summer Camp at Indian Creek near Ingram, Texas, That song was brought up again to close the evening program. It felt good because by then we were in a conflict with North Korea and I was thinking about my uncle Agustin Reynosa who was a medic during that war.

Is it any wonder why it was brought up again during this turbulent years of middle east conflicts and other mini conflicts that spring up throughout the world and America responding to the cause. Regardless of the situation at hand, we are blessed. We have abundant food, the land, regardless of fires, hurricanes, droughts, tornadoes and every environmental crisis, we get back up and fight. We have people who stand up and become leaders and the rest volunteer to help. We have all the resources that are needed for every fight. 

Yes, we should sing it out loud, “God Bless America”. If you don’t know the lyrics, here it is:

God bless America

Land That I love

Stand beside her

And guide her

Through the night with a light from above

From the mountain

Though the prairies

To the Ocean, white with foam

God bless America

My home sweet home