Colonel Andrew James Drake, a Marine intelligence officer, reflected on our sense of patriotism and ourt duty to serve as he delivered the Patriotic Address to kick off the 232nd Bristol Fourth of July Parade Tuesday morning.

"I identify patriotism as having a foundation of appreciation of what we have in our country which then fosters a sense of service to benefit the whole," Col. Drake told the crowd in front of Colt School. "So appreciation and service. As a Marine, I've had the opportunity to live in five other countries. This exposure has not only been broadening, but it also increased my own appreciation and gratefulness for living in America. This appreciation is centered on the fact that we have a society that strives to balance stability and personal liberties, an environment that is clean and safe and where opportunity exists for our children.

"Now if you're just following national headlines or your social media streams, you may not believe that we have these things like a social and politically stable society. But if you consider that most of you are probably not concerned about blowing up on your commute to work. You're not concerned about being jailed for political disagreement, and you're not concerned that just a general lack of a rule of law threatens all your interactions, you may then feel a little more fortunate for this relative stability we have here."

"At the least it should be understood the pursuit of stability while trying to protect personal liberties is complex, difficult and noble. On the other hand, social stability without individual freedoms, that's easy. Just look at North Korea. They've got a stable society, but that's not what we want. Our ability as Americans to strive to correct our faults and improve our deficiencies has been demonsrated throughout our history. Ourt imperfections do not cuase us to abandon or dispair, but motivate us to seek improvement. Maybe this is why America is one of the youngest nations with one of the oldest governments.

"I'm also sensitive to the confusion that's made between patriotism and nationalism. Patriotism is the love of our country demonstrated by appreciation and service. Nationalsim is when you are passing judgment on other countries as being less than yours. Nationalism can lead to such negative things as xenophobia and hubris. You can have pride in your nation without the fear and arrogance born from nationalism."

The Fourth of July Committee also presented awards to this year's Hattie Brown winner, Robert Squatrito, and the longest-traveled award to Monica Davis, who traveled from Costa Mesa, Calf. for the parade. The committee also recognized Sgt, 1st. Class Thomas Daly, a Korean War veteran who has marched in the parade for 20 years.