The American

A tiny hand knocked on the hull of the demasted sloop. A Dutch father and his son stood on the walkway of the canal, holding hands, looking hopeful...

"My son would have you tell him about America," the father said pointing to the American flag on the stern. The son, suddenly shy, partially hid behind his father's knee with a grubby thumb in his mouth. "Tell him about your flag, her story."

The request took me aback. Their questions told me that they knew the basics, probably more than a number of the folks back home. I scanned the Provence countryside as I tried to think of an interesting story to tell. I wish that I could say that I told them something profound or obscure. I wish I had told them Bob Heft's story. I didn't. Actually, looking back, I can't remember what I said. I just remember thinking that to them, I was "the American".

I never felt more American than when I was abroad. In Mexico, a train porter would smile and say 'Elvis' while pointing to a Jack Daniels bottle when I mentioned that I was from Tennessee. A day's hike yielded the area's lone ex-patriot with an invitation to my July 4Th dinner in the marina near the salt marshes of France. (He brought wine.) An impromptu visit to a WWF outpost near Sardinia brought out the director to thank me for allowing our country to support the cause of whales. (Where else would a $20 donation get you such service?)

Everywhere I went, people saw me in light of our standard. They asked me about US policy, our traditions, our music...Foreigners didn't see our imperfections or divisions. Foreigners saw America. In return, I began to want to see America through their eyes, a mythological place of promise, generosity and opportunity.

It has been more than half a decade since I stood in the cockpit on the canal du midi and read the Declaration of Independence to a rapt international crowd docked in a small marina. But, each Independence Day, I recall that moment with a smile. I know that somewhere in the world, a little boy will remember the day that his father took him to see the American. And, he endeavored in his heart to come to America.

Listen to the Declaration of Independence here.