[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2898]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING BROOKE EDWARDS

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                       HON. LYNN A. WESTMORELAND

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 28, 2008

  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an essay 
written by Brooke Edwards, a fourth grader from Flippen Elementary 
School in McDonough, Georgia. Her school sponsored a writing contest in 
which students answered the ever patriotic question, ``Why I'm Proud to 
be an American.'' It is stories like these that inspire all citizens. I 
am proud to report to the U.S. House of Representatives that Brooke won 
first place in the contest, I would like to submit her essay into the 
Congressional Record for all Americans to read.

                    Why I'm Proud To Be an American

       My name is Brooke Edwards and I'm a fourth grader. I go to 
     Flippen Elementary School in McDonough, Georgia. I'm proud to 
     live in Georgia because it is in the United States and I'm 
     proud to be an American. What do I like about America? I like 
     our freedom, military, and our 4th of July.
       My first reason why I'm proud to be an American is freedom. 
     I like our freedom because we don't have kings or queens 
     bossing us around. For example, England has a queen. We can 
     vote for our presidents. In America we have a choice that 
     other countries don't have.
       My next reason is our military. Brave men and women fight 
     everyday all around the world for our freedom. We wouldn't be 
     free if we didn't have the military. We have men and women 
     who are veterans. They served our country and made me feel 
     proud.
       My final reason is our 4th of July. On the 4th of July, we 
     celebrate our freedom and have fun too. We also celebrate our 
     flag on the 4th of July because it stands for America. I love 
     the 4th of July!
       There are many reasons I like being an American. I like our 
     freedom, military, and our 4th of July. These are my favorite 
     parts of America.

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