Viva Mexico! And long live the United States

As I watched the 2004 Olympics, with the beautiful scenes of Greece, I couldn't help but think of the pride Greeks in America, and their children, must have felt as they saw their roots shared with the entire world. All American, yet proud of their heritage.

It made me think of being American, my heritage and the importance of symbols in forming the national character. For me, El Diez y Seis De Septiembre was one of those.

Viva Mexico! As a child, that was the shout I heard every 16th of September as my parents dragged me to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. For the few early Mexican families living in Salt Lake, that was a big day.

I say dragged because, as a child, I didn't realize what was the big deal. Having to put on my Sunday best was no fun. Then hanging around, close to midnight, waiting for the Mexican consul to ring a bell and give the Grito de Dolores was a bit too much. The crowd repeated Viva Mexico, the Mexican flag was waved and everyone sang the Mexican national anthem. As the years went by and the Mexican population grew, we started holding the 16th celebration at the Roxey Theatre (a k a the Lyric, Promised Valley Playhouse) and the old Judge Memorial gym.

As I grew old enough to understand, my mother would tell me about her homeland, the struggles for freedom and the beauty of her culture, Chapultepec, the pyramids, el calendario Azteca, and the Aztec culture. It was then that I began to appreciate the importance of the 16th of September. That marked the beginning of Mexico's revolution where the native Mexicans, the Mestizo Indians, responded to the call for independence by a Catholic priest, Miguel Hidalgo, in 1810.

Though I was born an American in Salt Lake City, as far as I was concerned, I was Mexican. My heart swelled at seeing the Mexican flag and singing the Mexican national anthem. My favorite song was "La Marcha Zacatecas," because that was the state where my parents were born.

Then, with Spanish as my language, I entered the world at Riverside Elementary. I learned the English language, about the American flag and the Pledge of Allegiance. My proudest day was when I was chosen to raise the school's flag and later take it down, fold it and treat it with respect. I felt that same pride when I was sworn in the Army. To this day, I still get chills when the flag goes by and I hear our national anthem.