Looking Back on Independence Day

I would like to thank Peter O’Malley and the Los Angeles Dodgers for the wonderful fireworks display and tribute to the Constitution on July 1.

Through narrative and music we were led from the founding of our country, to the writing of our Constitution, on to the current events of the day. We were reminded of the explorers who helped our country grow and those who died in battle to keep it safe.

In a thrilling climax we were treated to portions of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s speech following Pearl Harbor, John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, and Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech, followed by John Wayne’s recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance--all to music and fireworks! This was followed by the “Stars and Strips Forever” and a reminder that we all share the glories of the Constitution. The evening then concluded with the playing of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Through this gift, they reminded 45,000 people that there is more to life than a baseball game; and more to the Constitution than a piece of paper.

GREGORY B. LARKIN

Long Beach