SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Of course, it's Memorial Day weekend. And throughout today's show, we're hearing from various people on what patriotism means to them. David French, a former major in the U.S. Army Reserve and now a staff writer with National Review, says that, for him, patriotism is more than just loving your country.
DAVID FRENCH: To me, patriotism is encompassed and defined by the Declaration of Independence and this notion and the idea that we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights - among them, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - and that the very purpose of our government is to secure those liberties. This is the idea - the American idea - that unites a multiethnic, multifaith, continent-sized democracy that is unique in human history.
SIMON: David French, senior writer for National Review, he earned a Bronze Star for her service in Iraq. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.