“If tomorrow all the things were
gone
I worked for all my life
And I had to start again
With just my children and my wife
I’d thank my lucky stars
To be living here today
‘Cause the flag still stands for
freedom
And they can’t take that away
And I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I’d gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.
From the lakes of Minnesota
To the hills of Tennessee
Across the plains of Texas
From sea to shining sea
From Detroit down to Houston
And New York to L.A.
Where’s the pride in every American
heart
And it’s time we stand and say
That I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I’d gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.
And I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I’d gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.”
~ “God
Bless the U.S.A.”
~written & recorded by country music artist
Lee Greenwood
~ 1984
“God Bless the U.S.A.” is an
American patriotic song played at the 1984 Republican National Convention with
President Ronald Reagan & First Lady Nancy Reagan in attendance, but gained
greater prominence during the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991.
The popularity of the song rose
sharply after the September 11, 2001 attacks and during the 2003 invasion of
Iraq.
A majestic American Bald Eagle is
proudly perched in the shadow of the Kittatinny Ridge, also called Blue
Mountain, in the late day summer sunlight along the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage
Corridor (D&L Trail) at Lehigh Gap, Slatington, Pennsylvania in the waning
days of August.
The bald eagle is both the national bird and national animal of the
United States. The bald eagle appears on our nation’s seal. In the late 20th
century it was on the brink of extirpation in the contiguous United States.
Populations have since recovered and the species was removed from the U.S.
government’s list of endangered species on July 12, 1995 and transferred to the
list of threatened species. It was removed from the List of Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife in the lower 48 states on June 28, 2007.
The
Lehigh Gap is a crossroads where the Lehigh Gap Nature Center’s trails connect
two historic trails – the Appalachian Trail and the D&L Trail.
The
Appalachian Trail, a foot path, follows the ridge on both sides of the Lehigh
Gap, running 1,245 miles south to Georgia and 930 miles north to Maine. Running
from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and
Delaware rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.
