How do you define it?

July 4, 2010 at 12:01a.m.

and DENISE DICK

news@vindy.com

At the heart of the fireworks, flag flying and weekend barbecues is something that many Americans have even if they don’t display it daily: Patriotism.

Boardman Police Patrolman Paul Poulos served two war tours from 2004 to 2007 as a staff sergeant with the Army in Iraq and earned the Bronze Star.

Patriotism is appreciating the freedoms and the way of life in the United States while also understanding that it comes at a cost, Poulos said.

“In order for that way of life to be here, someone has to give back to the country first,” he said.

Poulos said he gets irritated with some members of the younger generation who don’t seem to be willing to give of themselves.

“America’s best hope for the future is over in the desert right now,” he said.

While his grandfather served in the Navy at the tail end of World War II, Poulos says he didn’t grow up in a military family. Still, it was his plan from a young age to serve.

“I was the only kid in Mrs. George’s fifth-grade class at Knox Elementary School [West Branch School District] who knew what a Scud missile was,” he said.

He loved learning about history and the sacrifices made by others to preserve and protect America’s freedoms.

“Being a patriot is about realizing you’re part of something that’s bigger than yourself,” Poulos said.

Master Sgt. Lafayette Smith, of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station’s 910th airlift wing, said true patriotism is something that stays with you even after the Fourth of July holiday has passed.

“I had a lot of patriotism before I joined the military,” he said. “I think to have patriotism, you don’t necessarily have to be in the military, because it’s just having love for your country and sacrificing time — showing support and honor.”

Smith, 30, who is a ceremonial guardsman, said his nine years in the Air Force has amplified his patriotic feelings.

“I can see first-hand what we do and how we affect so many people, and affect the whole country,” he said. “We have to make sure that we protect the standard and perfect that image of what the military is.”

John P. Brown III of Boardman, an AMVETS past national commander, says that a patriot is someone who understands the Constitution and the rights that it provides.

He believes more people are patriotic today than 10 years ago due in large part to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.

“With the military, recruiting today is at an all time high,” Brown said.

Austintown Fire Chief Andy Frost Jr. said he grew up with patriotism all around him, which has shaped his feelings about the nation.

“I was born in the middle of the second World War, and I had relatives fighting in Korea,” he said. “I grew up with patriotism, so to me it’s at the top of the list.”

Frost said he thinks many people, especially younger generations, take America and its freedoms for granted.

“I sometimes wonder why so many people criticize our country when there’s so many people fighting to get in,” he said. “We live in the greatest country in the world. It’s amazing how people criticize our government leaders and our president, no matter who president it is.”

For Boardman resident Richard Hahn, patriotism means loyalty to your country and understanding that it’s not about going along with the status quo.

“It’s loyalty to America and what it stands for ... It doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything the government says or does,” he said. “You stand for the basic principles.”

Hahn, 62, said he feels political issues have begun to force Americans to lose sight of their patriotic duties.

“Being true to equality is what makes America great,” he said. “It has little to do with politics and more to do with honoring your country.”

Bob Nemick of Austintown said the meaning of being a patriot is simple for him. “It means being free and being happy,” he said. “It means being an American.”

Duke Bennet, head of the Ohio Valley TEA Party, also described patriotism as “a love of your country.”

“It’s a love of the freedom that God has given us in this country that our fathers and grandfathers and mothers and grandmothers have fought for,” he said.

Bennet said he thinks patriotism in America has changed and changed again over the past several decades.

“It used to be attending fireworks on the Fourth, but years before that it was going to the service and fighting for your country because that was every young man’s duty,” he said. “Today we see we’re back to the point where we see patriotism is something worth having, something worth pursuing. We care about our nation and our liberties.”