We all think of the 4th of July as a celebration in remembrance of proclaiming our Independence from England. The actual legal separation from England took place on July 2, 1776 with the Declaration of Independence being approved on July 4th. Still, most of the congressional delegates didn't sign the declaration until August 2nd of 1776, but that just doesn't sound right as a holiday.

July 4th not only sounds good but and it's in the right place on the calendar for a good BBQ and fireworks holiday. Yep! We really declared July 4th a national holiday because we needed something between Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer, and Labor Day the unofficial end. We have Father's Day in June but that's not really a grilling, drinking, fireworks kind of day. Besides, that left two whole months until Labor day and that's too long without a good excuse for a summer party. July 4th is right there in the middle and it coincided with an important American event, so there you have it.

Now, the 4th is normally associated with parades, parties and fireworks and that is true no matter where in the world I happened to find myself. When I was growing up, there was always a party for the 4th somewhere nearby. Most years we spent the holiday at one of our relatives homes, while others were spent at the beach, lake or park. No matter where we wound up, it would be a day full of food, drink, conversation, jokes and many activities. As you would expect little firecrackers were tossed all day long and someone always had something new. In addition, there was the usual procession of familiar relatives and somehow always one or two that I'd never met before. As nightfall came the BIG fireworks would come out. These were usually something that one of the adults had kept hidden until it was "time". Depending on where we were, there might be a huge public fireworks display especially at the beach or lake. If we were at a relatives house, we would sometimes go down to the Delaware river to watch the display coming from a barge.

In Panama they celebrated the American holidays as well as their own, and they had plenty. Of course the Panamanians were always looking for an excuse for a good party and the 4th was no exception. They would even throw a party when the college students demonstrated because the price of rice went up. When I was stationed there, I looked forward to prices going up in Panama because they really know how to party.

Even in Saudi Arabia, when we were there for military exercises, there would be great barbecues and wild consumption of non-alcoholic beer (I hear that if you drink two cases of non-alcoholic beer you will get a buzz). If you have never eaten an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) off the grill then you haven't missed a thing. They were terrible in any form. There is a good reason they put little bottles of hot sauce in every meal. If you put enough hot sauce on anything, it will hide the taste. Anyway, even the Saudis and other allies would join in the celebration. I think they were just using us as an excuse to "let go" for awhile.

When I was a project manager in Iraq on a civilian contract, I had 260 Iraqis working for me. On the 4th of July some of them brought me various local dishes, which their mothers and wives had made for me so I could celebrate the 4th. As was my usual habit I sat on the floor during our lunch break and shared the food with my workers, as they had done for me on other days. On this particular occasion, there was so much food we could not eat it all. With their permission I put together several plates of food and delivered it to our troops guarding the gates of our compound near Camp Victory. Naturally, it was well received since they were tired of eating MRE's everyday.

Now that I'm back home with my family we have our celebrations with friends from various parts of the country and world. My own family is in Philadelphia and my wifes' in Panama. Here in South Carolina, the local Air Force base puts on a public demonstration at a nearby park. When I watch it and think of other displays I've seen over the years, I'm reminded that during the celebrations overseas, the only thing missing from the celebration was the fireworks.

So now that you know the real reason for the 4th of July holiday, go to my site at www.4thof July.TellMeAboutThat.com to find more information, articles and links to help improve your celebration.