Why I Love America: Our Home, Defined by Liberty

In 1966, my parents came to the United States to build a new life. They were from Lebanon, where religious turmoil was a constant part of daily life. Their journey took some time and included other chapters, but America was always the end goal. They arrived with very little, but they carried something more important: hope and gratitude. They truly believed they were entering a nation where your future would be shaped by hard work, not by your pedigree or creed.

I was born the following year, in 1967, a first-generation American. As I grew up, I watched my parents turn hope into reality through steady grit. Despite her limited formal education, my mother had a sharp mind and an indomitable spirit; in time, she built and ran a successful clothing alterations business. My parents worked tirelessly so that my brother and I could enjoy opportunities they had never been given, including a college education and the chance to build secure lives.

The greatest gift my parents gave us wasn’t economic mobility, but patriotism. They never forgot their past, and they remained proud of their Lebanese heritage, but they firmly believed America was the better path. They chose this country with remarkable conviction and looked optimistically into the future. There was no hesitation or backward glance. They chose America fully, and that choice shaped everything about our home.

Our household proudly embraced American holidays and traditions. When the Apollo astronauts planted Old Glory on the moon, we felt their triumph as if it were our own. We also felt deep, personal reverence for the achievements of our armed forces, from Yorktown and Saratoga to Normandy and Midway.

Then came September 11, 2001, a day of infamy that solidified my love for this country like no other. As horrific images and details were broadcast everywhere, I learned that the terrorist who commandeered United Flight 93 was from Lebanon—the same country my parents had left behind. He shared their birthplace, but nothing of their values. That knowledge struck me on a deep personal level and filled me with a terrible resolve: a fierce obligation to protect the nation that had given my family everything against those who wished it harm.

That betrayal did not weaken my allegiance; it forged it into steel. Determined to protect my country, I applied to join the CIA. I was already in my 30s, and I believed I could serve more effectively as an intelligence officer than as a soldier. My knowledge of Middle Eastern history, religion, and culture—along with my fluency in Arabic—were tools I could use in service of America’s defense. I wanted to help ensure that a heinous act like 9/11 would never happen again.

Although my life ultimately took a different path, my desire to defend America came from a true patriotic spirit that was also displayed by the ordinary citizens on Flight 93. When those passengers chose to fight back, knowing death would be the likely outcome, they refused to remain passive, charged the enemy, and saved the lives of countless Americans.

That same spirit shapes my admiration for the Founding Fathers—men like George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin—who looked at a world ruled by kings and imagined a government of, by, and for the people. In the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, they expressed a radical belief—that our rights come from God, not the state, and that the government derives its power from the consent of the governed. This vision relies on a just society rooted in Judeo-Christian principles—chief among them, liberty, family, sacrifice, and the inherent dignity of every human soul.

That moral foundation, as I see it, helped unlock extraordinary human potential—fueling economic growth, technological innovation, and military strength. When I look across this land, from its vast farmlands and skyscrapers to its natural beauty, I see a nation blessed by our Creator. 

My parents fled a divided region to find a home defined by liberty, and they taught me that being American is not defined by where your bloodline began, but by your devotion to this nation’s history, legacy, and foundational traditions. I love and celebrate America because it gave my family refuge, gave so many a future, and continues to offer an enduring promise of hope and freedom to the world.

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.