Lansing VFW Post #5981 presents awards to 2021-2022 District Level Voice of Democracy Scholarship winners

Lansing VFW Post #5981 has announced this year’s Voice of Democracy winners at the District level of the essay writing contest. The sister-brother tandem of Rhianna and Brendan Jones, children of Eric and Liz Jones of Lansing, are this year’s top award winners in that District contest.

Brendan Jones, a freshman at Kee High School in Lansing, was named the District 9 first-place winner of the contest and the recipient of a $100 award. He also received a $100 award from Post #5981 in the Voice of Democracy Scholarship program. As the top District essay, his entry advanced to the State level of competition, where it was not selected among the State placewinning essays.

Rhianna Jones, a junior at Kee High School in Lansing, was named the District 9 second-place winner and the recipient of a $75 award. She also received a $50 award from Post #5981 for her Voice of Democracy essay. VFW Post #5981 sponsored both essay writers.

Since 1947, the Voice of Democracy has been the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ (VFW’s) premier scholarship program. Each year, nearly 57,000 high school students compete for more than $2 million in scholarships and incentives.

The Voice of Democracy competition provides high school students with the opportunity to speak out on freedom and democracy. Students compete by writing and recording an audio essay on an annual patriotic theme. This year’s theme was: ”America: Where do we go from here?” The program has been popular and successful since its beginning in 1947, and VFW Post #5981 is proud to keep offering it to America’s young people.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the U.S. is the nation’s largest and oldest major war veterans organization. Founded in 1899, the congressionally chartered VFW is comprised entirely of eligible veterans and military service members from the Active, Guard and Reserve forces. With more than 1.5 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in over 6,000 Posts worldwide, the nonprofit veterans service organization is proud to proclaim “No one does more for Veterans” than the VFW, which is dedicated to veterans’ service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs.

There are two qualifiers for membership in the VFW, as set out in the organization’s National Bylaws. An individual must meet both in order to become a member. They are as follows: 1) Honorable Service - Must have served in the Armed Forces of the United States and either received a discharge of Honorable or General (Under Honorable Conditions) or be currently serving; 2) Service in a war, campaign or expedition on foreign soil or in hostile waters.

For more information or to join, visit the organization’s website at vfw.org.  Those who are not eligible for membership in the Veterans of Foreign Wars but have a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling or spouse who would be eligible may apply for membership in the VFW Auxiliary. More can be learned at vfwauxiliary.org.
 

ESSAY TOPIC: “America: Where do we go from here?”
by Brendan Jones
Voice of Democracy Essay Contest
District 9 First-Place Winner

“The America I See”
America! A land freed from the oppressive grip of tyranny. A land carved out by the hardworking and the brave. Created by those who would not capitulate to the British in our war for independence! Or to the Soviets, in an era of cold war! Even when on the brink of civil war, did we falter? No!

Patriotism is what I believe in. To me it means that I love America. It means America grants me rights that can’t be taken away. Through all of our victories, we must be wary to not ignore our defeats. Defeats like racial discrimination, rising inflation, and crumbling relationships between Americans. America needs to return to the values on which we were created, which are freedom, unity, and hard work.

Freedom is one of our inalienable rights; it is to be enjoyed by all citizens of the United States of America. My freedom was given to me by the brave men and women who perished so I may have a better life, and I will never forget that. Freedom means we cannot be forced to do anything, for anyone. Freedom means we can live our lives as we want, without having to worry about what other people think. Without freedom, we would be groveling at the feet of a King!

Did I earn my freedom? No. I did nothing to deserve my freedom, but it was given to me nonetheless. I thank veterans of all ages, dead or alive, for fighting and risking it all so I can rest peacefully knowing that I am free. Soon it will be my turn to repay the permanent debt I owe to the heroes of our beautiful nation.

Unity. We have unity despite our differences as US citizens. During the founding of our nation, freedom let us worship as we wanted. Freedom let us live our lives as we wanted. Therefore, we came together and united under a common belief, a common dream. Now, our unity is falling apart. Our beloved country is suffering in the flames of hatred. Neighbors battle neighbors. Friends battle friends. We have become so focused on politics that we haven’t recognized the dangers this imposes. Heroic people like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr., brought us together, and that can’t be for nothing! Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr., were assassinated because of their beliefs, because of their dreams of unity. But you can’t kill America’s dream.

We are called the United States of America for a reason. Not just because we are a country of united states. Not only because we are united under one government. We are united as a people. Blacks and Whites, Asians and Latinos, Democrats and Republicans. Under all of our sour layers of racism and injustice, we are one people. We are Americans! We are the most powerful country in the world! We are made up of every race, every nationality that our world knows. Some believe our skin color keeps us apart. Some may believe our politics keep us apart. Some believe that our nationality keeps us apart. It does not matter the color of your skin; you are equal to me! It does not matter your political belief; you are equal to me! It does not matter your nationality; you are just as American as I am! Unity! Unity is what I see, and unity is what America will restore.

Hard work. Hard work is a value that citizens of the U.S. are proud of, and prioritize. Americans have always had plenty of jobs to pick from, from mail delivering and trash collecting, to doctors and lawyers. Americans have always worked hard for what they have, and they are very proud of it. With the recent pandemic, many have been terminated as businesses struggled and failed, and many have left work for their health. U.S. unemployment rates have gone from 3.6% in 2019, to 4.6% in 2021. Many people refused to return to work, worried they might contract Covid-19. Others felt that working from home might be uplifting and happy, and they left work. Labor intensive jobs like trucking and manufacturing are at a loss of workers. America’s economy is slowly crumbling, and it is time to make a change. It should not matter what ethnicity you are; it should not matter your financial or social status. It should matter about the hard work; you are capable of contributing to American society. In the future, I see an American is wealthy, not because of their status, but because of the hard work they put in.

I am a patriot. I accept you for who you are. Not because of your skin, or money, or nationality. I can see that America will rise up from the ashes of the previous century, and become more powerful than before. A country George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr., would have wanted to see. A country they would have wanted to live in. No more racism! No more financial and social suffering. No more hatred between neighbors, and brothers. We will come together and one day, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, we will “sit down together at the table of brotherhood”!

One day we will enjoy the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. One day, we will destroy the plague we call politics, and elect a leader that cares for their citizens, who can find a common ground. I can see a patriotic America. An America where people of all races stand with their hands over their hearts, watching Old Glory wave.