Olivia Wee '21 was honored last Saturday, February 1st, with other district winners at a dinner held by the New Jersey State Veterans of Foreign Wars for being the District 21 winner of the Voice of Democracy Essay Contest.  The theme of this year's contest was “What Makes America Great.” This is the second year in a row that Olivia has won the contest for District 21.

Established in 1947, the Voice of Democracy essay program provides high school students with the unique opportunity to express themselves in regards to a democratic and patriotic-themed recorded essay. Each year, nearly 40,000 9-12 grade students from across the country enter to win their share of more than $1.9 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the program. 

Read Olivia's winning essay below:

On December 30, 2009, seven Americans lost their lives on a CIA base in Khost, Afghanistan. The CIA believed that a double agent had infiltrated senior Al Qaeda leadership. Tragically, it was a trap, and the double agent arrived at the base with a suicide bomb. Dane Paresi was the oldest of the seven killed. He was a husband and a father. Dane possessed a great love of country. A day after his high school graduation in 1981, Dane joined the army following in the footsteps of his veteran father. He would become a Green Beret, earning the Bronze Star. The youngest American killed was Elizabeth Hanson. She was a CIA intelligence officer who came from a very different background. Elizabeth, pretty and from the Midwest, grew up in an upper-middle-class family as part of the Windows generation. Yet, she possessed the same devotion and belief in this nation as Dane Paresi. Elizabeth joined the CIA a short time after graduating from an elite northeastern college in the wake of 9/11. She kept a paperweight on her desk that asked ‘What would you do if you knew you could not fail?’

Some might find Elizabeth Hanson’s decision to serve her country a surprising choice, to die in the foreign fields of Afghanistan. A girl like that had many options, but I have felt the same sense of patriotism in myself. Tom Brokaw famously said that the World War II generation was this country’s greatest generation, but I believe every generation has helped to make America great. There are countless examples like Nathan Hale who declared, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country” or the everyday Americans of United Flight 93 who died stopping one of the terror attacks on 9/11.

This patriotic devotion, this belief in America, has helped to make America great, but this country’s greatness goes beyond patriotic belief. Americans love this country because it is great. The exceptionalism of this country is self-evident. America’s greatness is manifest everywhere. We can see it in our great cities like New York, and our capital, Washington D.C. We can see it in our country’s great natural wonders like the Grand Canyon, the Redwood Forest, and the Mighty Mississippi. We can see it in Americans with the right stuff like Henry Ford, Chuck Yeager, and Bill Gates. The lightbulb, telephone, and modern computer were all invented in America. Our nation put a man on the moon. America is the first modern democracy. The Founding Fathers created a republic of great institutions protected from corruption and extremism through checks and balances. Every citizen has the right to vote and civil liberties through the Bill of Rights. Our nation has been and will always be a refuge for those fleeing oppression and hardship. One never ends up where they started in America and that promise of a better life has never changed. Whether it was your great grandfather who arrived with almost nothing or a young boy who grew up poor, everyone has a chance if they work hard in America. This country is an example to the world and has defended the world from fascism, communism, and other evils. If not for America, the two World Wars would not have been won, and history would be very different.

It is no wonder that Americans like Dane Paresi and Elizabeth Hanson have given this country what Lincoln called the “last full measure of devotion.” This invocation of devotion in the Gettysburg Address perfectly describes what I believe is the American spirit. Americans are not born and bred to fight like the Spartans of Ancient Greece. Americans are not taught to hate like Nazis. Americans are not brainwashed into being martyrs like Islamic jihadists. The American spirit is about love of one’s country. It is the belief in America, a belief in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And like Dane Paresi and Elizabeth Hanson, who sacrificed themselves for this nation, it is about defending America when it is threatened. This American spirit is a testament to America’s greatness. I have been inspired by this spirit and know that I am not alone when saying I believe in this nation, I believe America is great.

Congratulations, Olivia!