Living part of each year in Italy has made me appreciate two countries. While different in many ways, both America and Italy share a deep love of liberty. This Fourth of July, as fireworks light the sky, I’ll be thinking of the two countries I love. One gave me my heritage. The other gave my family its future.

As we gather for parades, fireworks, and backyard barbecues, I think about the millions of Italians who crossed the Atlantic with little more than courage and dreams. They came seeking what generations of immigrants have always sought – freedom, opportunity, and a chance to build a better life for their children.

What they brought with them enriched America in countless ways: cherished recipes, strong family traditions, craftsmanship, music, fashion, scientific discoveries, and entrepreneurship. My dad was adamant in reminding me that Italians contributed to American culture, and that I should always be proud.

Today there are 16 to 18 million Americans of Italian descent in the United States, but we represent only a portion of all those who immigrated to this country and helped make it strong.

Perhaps that’s why the words engraved at the Korean War Veterans Memorial – “Freedom Is Not Free” – continue to resonate with me. Those four words honor not only generations of American-born service members, but also countless immigrants who chose to defend the country they had come to call home.

Happy Independence Day! And thank you to everyone, past and present, whose courage reminds us that freedom is a gift worth protecting and celebrating.