Published July 3, 2019 in the San Diego Union Tribune

To me, being American means being ready to sacrifice something for myself for my wife, my family, my neighborhood, my community, my country.

And I’m not just talking about picking up arms for the defense of our great nation if things go south, which could happen soon with Iran or North Korea. Yes, while I’m ready to do that very thing as a Navy Reservist, being American is also about this idea that – in the words of one of our own community members Malin Burnham – I have to put my community before myself.

Being American is about my dad who immigrated from South Korea and then worked his tail off to make sure my family had food on the table. It’s about my staff at the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, who have given up lots of personal time and taken on so much responsibility for our mission. It’s about the friends I have in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors invest time in the community to help others even though they know they’ll get very little, if anything, out of it.

My dad, my staff, my friends in the community all showcase the same qualities: hard work, deferred gratification, commitment to duty, generosity.

That’s why to me, being American always comes back to the concept of sacrifice. I have to be ready to sacrifice my own life in war. I have to be willing to give up my right to free speech in not always saying what I think as the President & CEO of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association. I may even have to sacrifice a bit of my own pursuit of happiness because of the stresses of work.

But my reward comes in the form of satisfaction and personal fulfillment. That’s also part of being American.

What it means to be an American