As a military spouse, the word "patriot" is an intrinsic part of my daily life. On a military base, we start our days with reveille and end them with a retreat. In between are the matching red, white and blue outfits, military exercises and ceremonies, overseas deployments and desserts decorated with American flags.

Patriotism, to us, is the daily sacrifice of our own ideas for our nation’s ideals.

However, lately, hate, segregation and bullying have reinvented the patriot as someone who cares more about political affiliations and partisan beliefs than people.

A patriot, as defined in Merriam-Webster dictionary, is one who loves and supports their country. Patriotism isn't a term bestowed solely on service members, police officers or those with "I love America" bumper stickers. Patriotism also is not owned by any one political party or ideology. Patriot is a term conveyed to all who love and support their country and its citizens.

In our nation's 248-year history, millions of service members have enlisted in America’s armed forces. Some enlisted because they loved our country and wanted to defend it, but others because of higher education........

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