My vision of America had been taking shape since I was five years old. I was interested in Geography and History. I read the newspaper and I worked for my father. He owned and operated a typography shop and brought home “galleys” to proofread at night. I was the proofreader copy boy at the dinning-room table. Later on, I was the sole proofreader of the “galleys” for a weekly black newspaper called the “St. Louis American.”

Pearl Harbor was bombed when I was six. I vividly remember standing outside our home on that December 7, 1941 afternoon after Sunday Mass and listening to the neighbors speak of the Japanese attack on the United States Naval Base in Hawaii. Little did I know I would sail into and out of Pearl Harbor seven times and enter the base weekly to receive top secret classified material. A big responsibility.

Many of the men were called to the Armed Forces during World War II. I became an entrepreneur who mowed lawns with our “push mover” in the summer and shoved snow in the winter. All for a Quarter. I had the responsibility as chief farmer of our backyard Victory Garden. Sometimes, I would hitchhike to Sunset Hills Country Club and caddy for a dollar a bag. I could carry two ladies’ bags and that was a big payday. I did all of the jobs Americans won’t do.

I collected trash and honey buckets; did road work in hundred degree heat; operated the pitchfork at a horse stable; was guide and security for a small lake resort; worked a summer job with “migrant workers” and “college boys” as a “pea-picker” in Wisconsin when attending Mizzou.

Just a few of the many jobs Americans won’t do that provided me with a bank account and a “Passbook” at the local Savings and Loan Association. There was no time for whining and safe spaces had not yet been invented for cloistered millennials.

That oath helped shape my life and my vision. My “Vision of America” has matured since that day of great magnitude so many years ago. Meanwhile, something terrible has happened to America over these many years. Our country, so poised to accomplish monumental undertakings has gradually become a listless, lost ship in a roiling sea of uncertainty searching for a beacon of light. America has lost its’ direction and our moral compass. Now, we have “The American Vision.”

I quickly learned to be a leader of Marines, I quickly recognized that each Marine has unequalled value and that all are equally important, no matter their rank, role or assignment. Each Marine added matchless value as we could only accomplish our mission when we worked together. We relied on each other. We had trust in each other. We had respect each other. It became clear that these are the essential requirements of all successful organizations and for an exceptional country as well.

My vision applies these same principles to our republic. Every American must add value. We must all respect, trust and rely on each other. All must have a meaningful education, substantive career training, satisfying jobs and a superior standard of living. The 20/20 Vision creates the solutions to achieve these goals; this mutual sense of purpose where everyone experiences the joy of achievement and pride in self-reliance.

We Americans, each and every one of us must have a Clear Vision for America and for Our Future. We need to wake up and see what is the slow demise of a great experiment. We can’t let our Founding Fathers and those brave heroes who fought to keep the vision of liberty and freedom alive.

God Bless us all and God show us the light and give us the resolve to Save our America. Our children, our Constitution, our culture, our country, our civilization, our liberty, our safety and our future need you now more than ever.