America is unique in the world.

This nation has been able to accomplish the incredible. To win our independence we had to defeat England, the most powerful nation on earth in 1776.

The number of ships, planes and tanks we manufactured after we entered World War II in 1941 was amazing. We put men on the moon and returned them safely to Earth. We overcame the energy crisis and are now the leading natural gas and oil producer in the world. According to the IEA we the only major country that is meeting the Paris Climate Treaty targets. We can now go head to head with countries like China, in manufacturing and win!

Peloton recently announced plans to build its first U.S. factory in Ohio creating 2000 jobs. Their other facilities are in Asia.

In less than a year we developed a vaccine for COVID-19 ,and in a few months over half the country has at least one dose. Almost 50% are fully vaccinated.

We produced and administered over 200 million doses, a huge accomplishment! Most places are back to normal from the pandemic.

Lynnda and I we are living life the same as before the pandemic with the addition of Zoom as a means of communication. Sadly because of politics, much of the major media and social media’s focus on the negative, as a nation we haven’t truly celebrated these accomplishments.

The USA is helping other countries with doses of vaccine and our expertise.

We are not perfect.

After almost 250 years we still have issues but are making progress. We are the nation other countries can count on to help whenever there is a natural disaster. Our agricultural system not only feeds our people but much of the world.

Why is the United States so successful?

Based on my experience as a leader, I believe one answer is our diversity. We are a melting pot of the world with different cultures ideas and experiences. My kids and grandkids are the product of many nations including native American. Diversity is strength for a team. It is a challenge to lead a diverse team, probably why some leaders avoid it.

I never want a team with others just like me. Success happens when we work with people of complementary strengths, backgrounds and ideas. The key to success of any team or nation is to bring people together with a common goal(s). The reason people have been coming to the United States since its founding is to build a better life for themselves and their family.

The USA is a diverse country of climate and resources. The Shale Crescent USA is blessed with abundant energy and feedstock from natural gas and coal. We don’t get hurricanes like the Gulf Coast. We have abundant water resources like the Ohio River. Our climate is suitable for growing many crops.

Our nation also has the diversity of places like our coasts for fishing and recreation. Florida, Texas, the Midwest (our bread basket) California, Alaska and Hawaii create a diverse country of resources and climates for growing a variety of products and available resources. We can be totally self-sufficient if we choose — a strength most countries lack.

The United States has two other things rarely occurring together.

They are personal liberty and economic opportunity.

Personal liberty is freedom. We can travel. We can pretty much choose to be or do what we want. Success is in our control. We can speak freely. We can even criticize our government and our elected leaders. Government criticism in places like North Korea, China, Iran etc. can get you thrown in jail and even killed.

We can lose these rights if we don’t protect them. We chose to give some of them up temporarily during the pandemic for the greater good. Some governors chose to implement more restrictions and keep them in place too long. They may pay the price at the ballot box. Americans thrive when they are free and won’t stay locked down for long. Try getting a room at the beach this summer.

There are no restrictions in the United States on how much money a person can make. We are free to start our own business. We can own land and the minerals on it. That is rare in the world. We choose our career. We can invest. My grandparents came to America from Europe for a better life for themselves and their children (my parents) and found it. The USA is still the land of opportunity. One of our challenges is to control the flow of people coming in. Countries like North Korea guard their border to keep people in. The Russians had to build a wall around their sector of Berlin after World War II to keep their people from leaving. The hunger for freedom was so great people routinely lost their lives trying to escape to West Berlin.

My friend Romina came to the USA from her birth country of Albania. She is thrilled to be free. Romina like many other immigrants used the personal liberty and economic opportunity many Americans take for granted to start her own business. She is doing quite well.

I believe, personal liberty, economic opportunity and the resources of our country are blessings like our own gifts and talents. We must share them with others. We need to use our resources wisely. Keeping our resources in the ground as some suggest is selfish and dangerous. Most of us were born in the USA. We may not fully appreciate what we have. The world depends on the USA for food, energy and ideas. Solutions for the world’s problems are born from our free speech, personal liberty and economic opportunity. We have been given much. I believe God expects us to use what we have to make the world and the people living in it better off. Anything is possible. Happy birthday, America!

Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com, is the director of marketing and sales for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering with over 40 years’ experience in the energy industry. He is the author of four books and numerous published articles.