Published 6/30/06

Perhaps the most unusual July 4 of my life was spent in Japan. Imagine several young Americans on Japanese streets singing "America the Beautiful" and "God Bless America," and stopping occasionally to read from the Declaration of Independence.

Call it impetuous, or silly or dumb. We were not drunk, or high. We were trying to be patriotic Americans in a foreign land.

The date was July 4, 1967. Thanks to Carleton College and a scholarship from Honeywell, I spent almost 3 months that summer studying in, and traveling around Japan. I had learned enough Japanese to communicate, and discovered that knowing that language helped me understand the country.

Some readers recall that in 1967, the United States was deeply involved in the Vietnam War. In Japan, as in the U.S., the war was the subject of constant protests and daily debate.

July 4 is not a Japanese holiday, so I spent part of the day attending university classes in Kyoto, with Japanese and US college students.

Several of us decided after class to march around with American flags, singing and reading.

Many, many Japanese people stopped up. Some were eager to practice their English. Some asked, "Weren't we afraid that someone from the CIA would take us away?" Some wanted to know why we were warmongers. Others wanted us to joint a protest at US Government building.

It was one of the best days of my life. We were "showing the flag," in a place and time where that flag was not popular.

While many Japanese policy stopped to challenge us about Vietnam, most also wanted to ask about America. Baseball, fast food, rock music, and on and on – they were fascinated by America. And they forced us to think about America, good and bad.

I'm a huge fan of getting teenagers out of the United States for a time, in a country that has a culture quite different from our own. That summer forced me to think hard about what this country meant – and what my role would be in it. Debating with Japanese students forced me to study not just at what we say, but what we do.

That's harder to do here. Regardless of our politics, most of us agree that this is a great country.

Sadly, many around the globe disagreed then -and now.

Defending America, despite our mistakes, was my central goal on that July 4. I may never have felt more American, than I did that summer- and perhaps that day, thousands of miles from home.

So, as I begin a vacation this month from the column, I’ll recall that most fundamental question President John Kennedy posed in his Inaugural Address: "Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country."

That July 4, in Japan, we decided to stand up, and share the ideals of this wonderful, complex country. Here's hoping we all find a way to do that this week.