Good morning everyone!

I have to say that this is my favorite day of the year.  I just love the festivities that usually accompany this day where we celebrate our Declaration of Independence.  Our country has a lot to be proud of and while there are some issues that are debatable, it is our freedom that makes this such a wonderful place. We have the right to speak for or against our government.  As ham radio operators, we have the freedom to communicate via radio to other American citizens or those from other countries.

There will be a lot of events tonight to commemorate this day and many of them will involve fireworks whether used by individuals or by professionals.  In many cases they will be assisted by amateur radio operators.  Many volunteers will be manning parks where there will be thousands of people present.  Amateur radio operators will be assisting the police, fire and other local authorities with crowd control, emergency management and the flow of operations.  These non-paid volunteers will be a large part of the celebrations that the general public will never know about.

It is just one more example of how ham radio and its users have long been a part of participating in their communities. This happens all the time during severe weather events, natural disasters and even during rescue efforts when evil people do evil things.  Join us this day in celebrating our nations Independence on this day. We have a lot to be thankful for.