On September 22, 1776, Nathan Hale was being led to the gallows at the hands of the British. He had been disguised as a school teacher trying to slip through New York city to get information about British troop positions for General Washington. He had almost made it when he got arrested and tried for treason against the British throne. As they led him out to the gallows that day, they turned to him and asked if he had any last words. He didn’t hesitate, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country!” And with that he was hanged.

I want to take a break from our regular posts here at Site Sketch 101 in order to pause and be thankful for our American freedoms. If you are not American, then you will simply have to bear with us for a day.

Happy Independence Day, friends. Our nation is filled with amazing stories of passion and patriotism just like Nathan Hale’s and today is the day that we stop for a moment and remember those early struggles in our nation’s history. It’s also a day that we celebrate the victories that those early patriots won. I’m thankful to be an American…and I’m also thankful to be a soldier.

Because it is the fourth of July, I’m going to use today as an opportunity to tell you all a little bit more about myself. For those of you who don’t already know, I’m an Infantryman in the United States Army. I’ve been in the Army since Feb. 6, 2007 and will be ending my enlistment on Jun. 6, 2011. I attended Basic Combat Training at Fort Benning, GA and have since been stationed at Ft. McNair, D.C. I serve in the 3rd Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard. Our primary mission is performing ceremonies such as at the Inauguration, at funerals in Arlington National Cemetery, and at other similar events.

I know that this post has nothing to do with blogging or website development but I thought that it would be useful to take a moment and share with you a little bit more about who I am and what I do. Join me in the comments section of this post and let me know who you are and what you do. Do you know someone in the military or do you have a family member who served? Let us know about it. Do you have any questions about who I am or what I do? Let me know. I’ll see you in the comments!