Our proud history of fighting for democracy

I am proud to be an American. Yet. my ancestry too goes back to immigrants. My ancestors arrived here in 1634, 14 years after the Mayflower. They came seeking religious freedom and opportunities in the New World.

Those opportunities diminished due to the overreach of King Charles II, and 135 years later, my ancestors participated in the American Revolution fighting for freedom and autonomy. They fought in the Civil War to bring equality to all men. My Irish ancestors arrived in 1850 fleeing the oppression of the British. My family fought in World War I, World War II and the Korean War.

I lost a brother in Vietnam, while my older brother was also serving in Vietnam. My late husband served in Germany during the Cold War. They fought to preserve our democracy and our freedoms. They fought to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

No one complained of bone spurs. We all should do the same. Freedom is not free. We must all resist the overreach of the man who would be king. We deserve better.

Edie Schultz

Palatine