http://couv.com Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. Fri, 07 Nov 2014 16:49:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5 Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. http://couv.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://couv.com http://couv.com/programs/holiday-parent-tips-5 http://couv.com/programs/holiday-parent-tips-5#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:45:16 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=12409 http://couv.com/programs/holiday-parent-tips-5/feed 0 audio,christmas,diane moore,holiday,holiday stress,parent talk,parent talk tip,santa claus,turkey In this five-part podcast, family life counselor Diane Moore shares helpful tips for families to survive the holidays. - Thanksgiving is past and Christmas is just a few weeks away. How do you feel about all the work that goes into preparing the food... In this five-part podcast, family life counselor Diane Moore shares helpful tips for families to survive the holidays. Thanksgiving is past and Christmas is just a few weeks away. How do you feel about all the work that goes into preparing the food for that special Christmas dinner? Diane Moore has some insights about food and Christmas on today’s Parent Talk tips. Diane Moore: One of the things that I hear from parents a lot is this: What do I do with Santa Claus? And you know, it’s personal, people do different things. I’ve never harshly rebuked people. But I’ll tell you what I’ve come to appreciate about the topic of Santa Claus is the real story, the true story of Saint Nicholas. There’s a lot to be found in that little story. We as Christians can say, "Well, he is bad, we don’t like him because he’s stolen the stage from what’s most important." But I think there is great value in taking something that is a cultural icon and using it to teach your kids. I think there is a lot to be taught to children with the story of Santa Claus, since they are going to see him anyway. Might as well, every time they see him, use that as a teaching lesson. St. Nicholas was a young boy in Turkey, probably. And he was an orphan. He had lost both his mom and his dad, and they were very wealthy. So he was left with a lot of money, but he didn’t have parents, and he was raised by priests. And he grew up and wanted to be a priest. That meant that he would have to take the vow of poverty. So, he had all this money, but, he took the vow of proverty. So what did he do with this money? He decided he would be a gift giver, that he would help rescue people who needed money, like a father whose daughters could never marry, or that they become slaves because of how the cultural structure was set up. So he could give this family money and rescue those daughters from slavery. Well, that was complicated, because you just give people money and it affects their dignity. So the legend goes, that he would put money through a window, and it would fall into the stocks that they hung to dry or maybe down a chimney. That’s where we get the oranges in our stockings that represent the gold that St. Nicolas put down the chimney. I don’t know what all is true but you tell your kids this is part of a legend. There’s some truth to it - we don’t know how much, but think about all that’s entailed in that story. It's gift giving, it’s how we give gifts. We have to be careful - the things you can teach from the stories are powerful. I say use it.   Diane Moore is a certified family life counselor and parent mentor with a private practice in Vancouver. Her radio talk show Parent Talk is heard in Portland, Vancouver and Boise. CREDITS Audio captured and edited by Ed Stortro Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 3:07 http://couv.com/lifestyles/people/christmas-in-philippines http://couv.com/lifestyles/people/christmas-in-philippines#comments Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:30:44 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=12241 http://couv.com/lifestyles/people/christmas-in-philippines/feed 0 audio,christmas,ed stortro,holiday,mila romine,philippines,santa claus Christmas Around the World is a 10-part series. This audio podcast is narrated by Mila (pronounced Mee La) Romine who grew up south of Manila in Bicol, Philippines. She has been living in the United States for the last 16 years. - Christmas Around the World is a 10-part series. This audio podcast is narrated by Mila (pronounced Mee La) Romine who grew up south of Manila in Bicol, Philippines. She has been living in the United States for the last 16 years. Mila Romine: Christmas in the Philippines, one of two predominantly Catholic countries in Asia, the other one being East Timor, is one of the biggest holidays on the calendar and is widely celebrated. The season is traditionally ushered in by the nine-day dawn masses that start on December 16, known as the Misas de Aguinaldo (Gift Masses), or Misa de Gallo (Rooster's Mass) in the traditional Spanish. These masses are more popularly known in Tagalog as the Simbang Gabi. Usually, other days in close proximity such as Christmas Eve (December 24), Día de los Santos Inocentes (December 28), and the Epiphany on the first Sunday of January, are also declared non-working days.   As in many East Asian countries, secular Christmas displays are common both in business establishments and in public, including lights, Christmas trees, depictions of Santa Claus (despite the tropical climate), and Christmas greetings in English and various Philippine languages and dialects. For Filipinos, Christmas Eve (Tagalog: Bisperas ng Pasko; Spanish: Víspera del Día de Navidad) is celebrated with the Midnight Mass. And immediately after the traditional Christmas Eve feast, family members dine together around 12 midnight on traditional Nochebuena fare, which may include: queso de bola (Spanish: "ball of cheese"; this is actually edam cheese), Tsokolate (a hot chocolate drink), and jamón (Christmas ham), lechón, queso de bola, roast chicken or turkey pasta relleno (stuffed bangus or chicken), pan de sal, and various desserts including cakes and the ubiquitous fruit salad. Some would also open presents at this time. Christmas officially ends on the Feast of the Three Kings (Tres Reyes in Spanish or Tatlong Hari in Tagalog), also known as the Feast of the Epiphany (Spanish: Fiesta de Epifanía). The Feast of the Three Kings was celebrated on the first Sunday after the New Year. Some children leave their shoes out, in the belief that the Three Kings will leave gifts like candy or money inside. The final salvo of these celebrations is marked by the feast of the Black Nazarene every January 9 in Manila, but can even extend till the final weeks of that month. CREDITS Audio captured and edited by Ed Stortro Audio transcription by Ed Stortro Voice over Mila Romine Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 3:59 http://couv.com/programs/holiday-parent-tips-4 http://couv.com/programs/holiday-parent-tips-4#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:45:28 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=12111 http://couv.com/programs/holiday-parent-tips-4/feed 0 audio,christmas,diane moore,ed stortro,holiday,holiday food,holiday stress,materialism,memory maker,parent talk,parent talk tip In this five-part podcast, family life counselor Diane Moore shares helpful tips for families to survive the holidays. - Thanksgiving is past and Christmas is just a few weeks away. How do you feel about all the work that goes into preparing the food... In this five-part podcast, family life counselor Diane Moore shares helpful tips for families to survive the holidays. Thanksgiving is past and Christmas is just a few weeks away. How do you feel about all the work that goes into preparing the food for that special Christmas dinner? Diane Moore has some insights about food and Christmas on today’s Parent Talk tips. Diane Moore: Let’s talk about food, food and Christmas. You know what I find interesting is in the Old Testament. When God wanted His people to celebrate a great historical event He always surrounded it with a feast. Why did He do that? 'Cause He made us, and He knows how our brains work. And the most powerful memory maker is food. It’s olfactory – smell and taste. And anything we take with smell and taste it goes directly to the center of the brain, the absolute core of the brain and the limbic system, that’s where the olfactory or smell and taste is processed. And it by-passes all other brain function. So, whatever is happening in the room when you eat becomes very powerful. Have you noticed that? Have you noticed that when there is conflict and you eat, it’s horrible! Food sticks in your throat. Have you noticed that when things are really good, when do you really look around and appreciate your family? Usually, it’s at the dinner table and you are looking at the rosy cheeks of your little kids, and you are going, "Man does it doesn’t get better than this?" Cause you are probably eating. Why? Because you're taking what is in the room and you are taking it straight to the brain. So, let’s use it. There’s a reason we have a feast at Christmas. Here’s what people usually do, they tell the Christmas story right before they open the presents. There’s not a big memory maker there. I would say, tell the Christmas story around the feast, while you are eating. Whatever you want to take straight to the brain of your child, do it around the feast. And at the dinner table, it’s not about saying, "This is great cranberry sauce. Oh, the turkey turned out really good." You’re probably going to say those things, but the things I want you to be – that I encourage you to be intentional about – is the connecting of hearts, and the connecting of hearts to the story. Here’s a great question that you can ask at your Christmas table this year. Ask your kids this question: "If you arrived in Bethelem today, a long time ago – 2000 years ago – just in time for Mary and Joseph to be sitting down for their Christmas story, who would you sit by? Would you sit by Mary, or Joseph, or the manger that’s been pulled up alongside Mary, or the shepherds, or the kings? Who would you want to sit by? And what would you want to talk about?" Make it real. And, putting the spotlight on your kids, as you are sitting at the table, it helps them sit there and know they are part of an incredible celebration. Asking the question, you're in charge. And they are not in charge of disrupting what’s going on. You have kind of taken control, but given them the spotlight. So, don’t waste this powerful drug that I call food. Don’t waste it. Make sure that environment is good.   Diane Moore is a certified family life counselor and parent mentor with a private practice in Vancouver. Her radio talk show is Parent Talk heard in Portland, Vancouver and Boise.   CREDITS Audio captured and edited by Ed Stortro Audio transcription by Ed Stortro Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 3:12 http://couv.com/lifestyles/people/christmas-in-israel http://couv.com/lifestyles/people/christmas-in-israel#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:30:57 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=12141 http://couv.com/lifestyles/people/christmas-in-israel/feed 0 audio,christmas,ed stortro,holiday,Israel,koby levy Christmas Around the World is a 10-part series. This audio podcast is narrated by Koby Levy, who was born and raised in Israel, served as company commander in the Israeli Defense Forces, and is founder and CEO of WAKA Systems, Christmas Around the World is a 10-part series. This audio podcast is narrated by Koby Levy, who was born and raised in Israel, served as company commander in the Israeli Defense Forces, and is founder and CEO of WAKA Systems, an international business development company. Koby Levy: It is important to note that some of the key Christian sites in the Holy Land are now split geographically. Some reside within Israel while others are in the Palestinian authority controlled territories. Israeli Arab population is estimated at about 1.6 million, representing over 20 percent of the country's population. The bulk majority of them are of the Muslim faith, and thus do not celebrate Christmas, but there is a minority of under 10 percent Christian Arabs who do celebrate Christmas. Given the diversity of denominations among Christian Israeli Arabs, some celebrate with the western churches on the Gregorian 25th of December, while others with the eastern churches on the Gregorian 7th of January on the following year. The pattern of Christmas observance among the Palestinians residing in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is similar to that of the Israeli Arabs. Although Christianity is a minority in Israel, Christmas is important in both areas due to the region’s significance as the place where Jesus lived, and as a destination for Christian pilgrims around the world, especially during Christmas time. Bethlehem (pronounced Beit Lechem – house of bread), where Jesus was born, lies in the West Bank, only a short distance from Jerusalem - with the Church of the Nativity being a prominent symbol of the city for both Christian and Muslim alike as well as a site of pilgrimage for thousands annually. Nazareth (pronounced Nazeret) - Jesus’ hometown and another pilgrimage site - is a mixed Jewish/Israeli Arab city lying in the northern part Israel. Finally, Jerusalem (or Yerushalyim), is home for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; although it is overall the largest center of Christian pilgrimage, its associations with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus tend to focus pilgrims towards Eastertime rather than Christmas. Christian pilgrimage makes up a significant proportion of the Palestinian economy in the West Bank, and accounts for a substantial proportion of tourism to Israel as well. CREDITS Audio captured and edited by Ed Stortro Audio transcription by Ed Stortro Voice over Koby Levy Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 3:23 http://couv.com/business/safe-shopping-tips http://couv.com/business/safe-shopping-tips#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:36:55 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=12170 http://couv.com/business/safe-shopping-tips/feed 0 http://couv.com/programs/holiday-tips-for-parents-3 http://couv.com/programs/holiday-tips-for-parents-3#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:34:14 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=11599 http://couv.com/programs/holiday-tips-for-parents-3/feed 0 audio,christmas,diane moore,ed stortro,holiday,holiday stress,materialism,parent talk,parent talk tip In this five-part podcast, family life counselor Diane Moore shares helpful tips for families to survive the holidays. - When the weather starts getting colder and the hint of snow is in the air we look forward in expectation. In this five-part podcast, family life counselor Diane Moore shares helpful tips for families to survive the holidays. When the weather starts getting colder and the hint of snow is in the air we look forward in expectation. Diane Moore reflects on the wonder of Christmas in today’s Parent Talk tips. Diane Moore: Christmas is about wonder. We don’t want to miss the Christmas of wonder. A lot of times, as parents we just want to raise our kids and we’d want to do a good job, and we’re just working so hard that we don’t know how we are coming across to our kids. We really want them to do the right things. And so, to our kids sometimes it can be interpreted as, “Oh, my parents all they care about is this list of do's and don’ts. And if I just behaved this way, then I’ll be acceptable in my family. I’ll be loved.” And that’s not what is in our hearts. Don’t you think God has that same problem? We interpret Him that way too. We say, “Why, God only cares about my outward behavior,” but that's not true about God, and it’s not true about you. And one thing that we can do at Christmas, with our kids is to take captive the message of Christmas. And look for ways to experience its wonder. Because, we’re not going to sell the list of do's and don’ts to our kid’s very well, they are not going to be buying it, like we want them to be buying it. Do you know how we sell stuff to kids? We sell them the dream. We sell them the dream, that’s what’s sellable. The world is doing a really good job of this. Disney is great at selling a dream. Bill Gates was great selling a dream. The guys, who understand it out there in the world, they're doing gang busters. They're steering the culture. They're in charge. But do you know what I say to parents, who want raise kids of character and parents who love God? "We’ve got the best dream. We’ve got it!" But we're selling the list of to do's and don’ts. Yeah, I know those do's and don’ts, they're important, because that’s the kind of stuff that keeps us from the dream. But we’ve got to start selling the dream better. Christmas is a great time to do it. Jesus came. God came, as a baby. What’s that about? Who can wrap their head around that? You know, God’s in a manger. You could kiss his face. You know, if I had to answer that question that I talked about in another podcast, “Who would you sit by at the Christmas table, the shepherds, the kings?" I’d say, "Mary, can I just watch over Jesus?" And I’d just kiss his face. And just wonder if that was even okay. That’s just mind bending. Bring your kids into that wonder. Wonder means you don’t understand it. And they've got to see you grapple with it, and not get it, to get into that world. Cause, they're not going to get it by you trying to make them wonder. They're going to get it by watching you wonder. Watching you be moved by a beautiful Christmas carol. Watching you be moved by the things that you see. That they’re so beautiful, that celebrate Christmas and what they mean, the lights at the darkest time of the year. So, celebrate that wonder. Experience that wonder. Just go out and feel it. And let your kids watch ya.   Diane Moore is a certified family life counselor and parent mentor with a private practice in Vancouver. Her radio talk show is Parent Talk heard in Portland, Vancouver and Boise.   CREDITS Audio captured and edited by Ed Stortro Audio transcription by Ed Stortro Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 3:24 http://couv.com/programs/holiday-parent-tips-2 http://couv.com/programs/holiday-parent-tips-2#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:04:38 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=11602 http://couv.com/programs/holiday-parent-tips-2/feed 0 audio,christmas,diane moore,ed stortro,goat,holiday,holiday stress,materialism,parent talk,parent talk tip,salvation army,worldconcern.org In this five-part podcast, family life counselor Diane Moore shares helpful tips for families to survive the holidays. - Parents are worried about materialism at Christmas. Our culture is all about materialism, In this five-part podcast, family life counselor Diane Moore shares helpful tips for families to survive the holidays. Parents are worried about materialism at Christmas. Our culture is all about materialism, bbecause billions and billions of dollars are spent on advertising to make us feel discontent with what we have, and especially to make our children feel discontent with what they have, so that they can write their Christmas list in great detail. So, we come by it honestly, being bent toward looking at Christmas as a time for what are we going to get. One of the things parents can do is to model "different." What we do in our home sometimes is that we let the kids lead, and they choose the topic. I would say to parents who are concerned about materialism this Christmas, be proactive. Check out World Concern, World Concern.org. They have a global gift guide. And you can buy animals. You can buy a lot of things, but I think for kids the most interesting thing is the animals. You can say, “Hey, you know what I think we ought to get for Christmas this year? I think we need to get a goat!” And, so, go on the website and say, “Let’s buy a goat.” That will get the kids attention until they realize, well, we're not going to actually keep the goat, and actually we probably won’t even ever pet the goat. But we're going to get a goat for someone. We can imagine what it will be like for this family to get a goat for Christmas. When I was a kid, we actually raised the goat and I remember helping get that wiry thing into the trunk of my mother’s car, so she could take it to Lodi where it would be put on a boat and taken to Africa. But, we are not going to be doing that. So, you get to do it the easy way. Just go to worldconcern.org and buy an animal. Let your kids choose. You’re modeling anti-materialism. And what do you do with the ringing bell as you walk by it? We had a plan where we never walked by a bell without putting money in. I’d always save up money in the car so the kids all had something, they had something to put into the Salvation Army bucket. Their motto is doing the most good. And that was a way we helped our kids deal with when they are going shopping and they are looking in the street corners and they see cold people, who are holding cardboard signs, and they are saying we need food. What do you do with that, do you give money to everyone? That's a tough question. And our answer, in our family - and everybody has to wrestle with that themselves - was we want to give to organizations that can help people like this, 'cause we don’t know how to help them very well. We’re not smart. We’re going to do what God tells us to do. And sometimes He calls us to do extraordinary things that we don’t really understand what’s happening. But we try to be smart in our gift giving. And Salvation Army, World Concern, find something like that to model what Christmas is really about.   Known by some as the parent whisperer, Diane Moore is a Certified Family Life Counselor and parent mentor with a private practice in Vancouver, Washington. Her radio talk show is Parent Talk heard in Portland, Vancouver and Boise.   CREDITS Audio captured and edited by Ed Stortro Audio transcription by Ed Stortro Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 3:05 http://couv.com/programs/holiday-parent-tips-1 http://couv.com/programs/holiday-parent-tips-1#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:10:01 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=11467 http://couv.com/programs/holiday-parent-tips-1/feed 0 audio,christmas,diane moore,ed stortro,fighting kids,holiday,holiday stress,parent talk In this five-part podcast, family life counselor Diane Moore shares helpful tips for families to survive the holidays. - Parents have a real conflict at Christmas; it’s a time for peace on earth, good will toward men. Remember, In this five-part podcast, family life counselor Diane Moore shares helpful tips for families to survive the holidays. Parents have a real conflict at Christmas; it’s a time for peace on earth, good will toward men. Remember, the angels came to the shepherds and said, "peace on earth." The problem that parents have is, that it’s a time for a lot of pressure, especially for moms. It’s a time to buy all the gifts for everybody. Time to make sure that the meal is just right. All the decoration that has to happen to the house usually falls a lot on mom. Then, there are relatives that have to be dealt with. Sometimes there’s difficult relatives that have to be factored in. So, a lot of pressure can happen at Christmas for parents. At the same time, the kids are not at their regular schedule, so the kids are either out of school, if you are home schooling parent you are not on your regular schedule. What do kids do when they are not on their regular schedule? It gets kind of crazy. For a parent that idea of peace on earth can be just a really nice song and not have anything to do with their life. So, what does a parent do, who wants to take something that’s very special and part of a Christmas, and make sure that it comes into their home in a practical way, the kids feel peace on earth? I mean, that was the whole purpose behind the first Christmas is that Christ came to bring peace on earth. What does that mean in your home? For parents it means that they can sit back and work on breathing and relaxing, and taking a little bit of time to prioritize and say, "what’s important and what’s not important?" In the long run, at the end of their parenting job, when they're sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair with their spouse, hopefully, they can look back and remember the things that they did at Christmas, the things that were meaningful, and be glad they did them. And realize in the moment – in the hectic moment – that there’s a lot that we do that’s not going to really be that important, and so to prioritize those things out. Another thing parents can do is enlist their kids, enlist their kids to help at, you know one of the things to remember about childhood and adulthood, and helping prepare your child for adulthood, is that it’s not about the perfect childhood. It’s about helping that child feel important by giving them tasks to do. One of the things correlates between a successful adult and a childhood is that they did chores, that they contributed. I know sometimes it’s harder, especially with the younger kids, is it’s easier to do it yourself. But enlist your kids to decorate the tree. Enlist your kids to make dishes that are going to be on the table for Christmas. Enlist your kids to help out, and over time it'll be worth it and they will get good at it, and they will truly contribute to what needs to be done during special times. And live in the moment! One of the things parents can do is just be present in the moment. Sometimes we're getting so busy, and there are some many tasks to do to get ready for the moment, the Christmas moment, that we're not living in the moment that we have the whole season. So, to stop and be present. What happens when we are not present is that we day dream. We can drive all the way to the mall and we don’t remember the drive. That‘s not living in the moment. We are actually disassociating from the moment. And, that’s not living. And it’s not good for our mind. It makes us more tired than we need to be. So, living in the moment appreciating the good and the lights that we see along the way, the Christmas music, maybe the sweet talk from the back seat – or the fighting – whatever is happening, just live in it, be present. So, peace on earth – make it happen in your house.   Diane Moore is a certified family life counselor and parent mentor with a private practice in Vancouver. Her radio talk show, Parent Talk, is heard in Vancouver, Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 4:10 http://couv.com/community/vets-day http://couv.com/community/vets-day#comments Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:00:29 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=9295 http://couv.com/community/vets-day/feed 0 holiday,jerry keen,robert nichols,veterans assistance center,veterans day,veterans day parade vancouver wa,video The first Veterans Day celebration occurred on Nov. 11, 1919 to honor the end of fighting in World War I. Known as Armistice Day, warring countries agreed to a cease-fire “on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour. The first Veterans Day celebration occurred on Nov. 11, 1919 to honor the end of fighting in World War I. Known as Armistice Day, warring countries agreed to a cease-fire “on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour.” Europe and the British Commonwealth still encourage its citizens to take a two-minute moment of silence at 11 a.m. every Nov. 11. Jerry Keen, chairman of the Clark County Veterans Assistance Center (CCVAC), says, “Clark County is the most veteran-friendly community that I’ve ever seen.” There is no greater demonstration of this than how local businesses and the community orchestrate one of the largest Veterans Day parades on the West Coast every year. This year’s parade took place Nov. 5. For Keen, celebrating Veterans Day means having “an opportunity to honor all the younger veterans.” As chaplain for the parade he says, “It is just a special thing to me.” The CCVAC also partnered with a few local businesses, giving Keen the opportunity to accompany 30 veterans to Moppin to hunt and fish. “It allowed [the veterans] to relax, be themselves and get a couple of good nights' sleep.” As in years past, Vancouver celebrated all week long, providing free dinners and luncheons for veterans at the Elks Lodge and American Legion Post 14. This gives veterans an opportunity to “go out and not only be in the community and be recognized but also have a good time and probably gain a few pounds,” says Keen. Veteran Robert L. Nichols said, “Those that do choose to [serve] should be honored for it.” Keen added, “We live in the greatest country in the world.” If you would like to volunteer in your community and beyond, or help with veterans that are returning home, please visit the Department of Veteran’s Affairs website. Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 1:42 http://couv.com/community/july-fourth-vets-patriotism http://couv.com/community/july-fourth-vets-patriotism#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:21:09 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=1567 http://couv.com/community/july-fourth-vets-patriotism/feed 0 fourth of july,holiday,jerry keen,larry smith,mike ragsdale,paul suarez,veterans,video Listen to an audio podcast of this video here: - Every Fourth of July our nation commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It is a day known for firework shows and family picnics. In honor of Independence Day, Listen to an audio podcast of this video here: Every Fourth of July our nation commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It is a day known for firework shows and family picnics. In honor of Independence Day, we asked a few Clark County veterans to reflect on what patriotism means to them. Vancouver City Council member and U.S. Army veteran Larry Smith said patriotism means remembering the price that others paid for freedom and doing everything possible to protect it. “So it’s important when it comes to patriotism that you remember the individuals who have served and paid a price because freedom is not free it is paid for by the lives of men and women who have died in combat defending this country,” Smith said. Jerry Keen, Navy veteran and chairman of the Clark County Veterans Assistance Center said patriotism can be as easy as “answering the call.” That doesn’t just have to be serving in the armed forces, the veterans added. “Young kids as they grow up they may never serve but they can serve in a lot of different capacities such as community service...That’s part of being a patriot as well,” Smith said. “But part of being a patriot is not forgetting those who do wear a uniform and do serve.” Air Force veteran Mike Ragsdale added that the freedoms we have as U.S. citizens shouldn’t be taken lightly as they are a unique privilege that isn’t common in other countries. “We enjoy so many benefits being citizens of this country. In the military I saw many other countries where they would dream to have a life like we have,” Ragsdale said. CREDITS Video shot and edited by Miles Burnett Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 1:46