Photo by David Leong
With Veterans Day celebrated this month, patriotic symbols will be evident in the city. But how do we live patriotically in daily life here at home? Local residents say true patriotism is about actions and in how we treat our neighbors.
In Homewood, November means flags on porches, the Homewood Pops band playing patriotic tunes, students preparing for assemblies and neighbors lining the streets for Birmingham’s Veterans Day parade — the oldest in the country.
But this year, as the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, we wanted to ask a personal question:
What does patriotism mean to you — and how do you live it, here in Homewood?
We invited veterans, artists, civic leaders and neighbors from across Homewood to share their reflections. Not about politics. Not about headlines. But about daily life — what they believe, how they act and how we might all find common ground through love of country, even when we disagree.
Their answers weren’t political. They weren’t rehearsed. They came from daily life — they just asked us to listen.
Skipper
Steve Skipper, a nationally recognized artist from Homewood, said his view of patriotism is rooted in honoring sacrifice and living out respect during a time when not everyone is respectful.
“It’s a deep love for the country I live in, and for the people of all races who paid the ultimate sacrifice to make it that way,” Skipper said. “I try to show it by treating everyone with the respect that honors them and their ancestors. The country’s greatness depends on continuing to do that, to respect every race and creed.”
Staff photo
Patriotic displays are often visible throughout the community, such as when the Homewood Patriots took to the field waving American flags to honor Veterans Day before a playoff football game against Fort Payne High School in 2017.
In Homewood, signs of patriotism are easy to spot: flags flying from homes and businesses, schoolchildren honoring veterans, lapel pins worn proudly and hands over hearts during the national anthem. Some say patriotism is about tradition. Others point to action, such as voting, volunteering, or checking in on their neighbors.
Corum
“I’m a really big believer in being very honorable of the flag,” said Homewood resident Debbie Corum. “It started for me at football games when my parents said, ‘You will stand and salute.’ That’s something near and dear to me and it’s something we teach in our family to this day.”
The people we spoke to didn’t all define it the same way. They had different views and opposing ideologies. But they all talked about how they try to live it.
Berliner
“I think it means standing up for the beliefs and rights promised by the Constitution,” said Richard Berliner of Homewood, a former humanitarian aid worker during the Vietnam War and author of “A Different Journey: Vietnam 1965-1973. “I believe we live in a humane society. We should express our opinions without vitriol or accusations.”
Berliner sees parallels between today and the Vietnam era. “For some people there’s only two ways: the right way and the wrong way,” he said. “Sometimes you just set aside your differences and go forward with the things you do connect with.”
Sutton
Homewood Police Capt. Ben Sutton sees patriotism as “loving your country, loving your community, understanding what it took to get here, maintaining the sacrifice of others and the many. … It’s something we need more of.”
Sutton teared up as he spoke about the five generations of his family who’ve served in the U.S. military.
“Patriotism to me is being willing to work towards a better country,” he said. “It doesn't have to be about the military, doesn't have to be police, just being a good American. That's it. A good person, a good American, no matter what your background is. Understanding that a lot of people of every persuasion gave up many, many things, including their lives, for us to have this freedom.”
Burford
For retired Maj. Gen. David Burford of Greystone, patriotism is lived in the things he does daily to support his love of country, reflected in his military service.
“Patriotism is the faith of self-sacrifice, that you’ll join something bigger than yourself. It’s a love of country,” Burford said. “I’m very frustrated with the condition of the country. But everybody has to be able to speak up. That’s what this freedom is all about, the freedom to disagree.”
Burford served a combined 38 years in the active Army, the Army Reserve and the Alabama Army National Guard. He became an Army Ranger and a Green Beret and was deployed as a special forces operative just after 9/11. Today, he helps organize Birmingham’s Veterans Day parade as vice president of the National Veterans Day Foundation.
“There’s always room for differences,” said Burford, who also has a reputation for correcting improper flag displays at local businesses, based on the U.S. Flag Code. “But there’s no room for violence, not to push your position or resist someone else’s.”
Jones
Doug Jones of Mountain Brook served his country as a U.S. Senator from 2018-21. He said patriotism should be non-partisan.
“I truly believe there are Republicans, Democrats, independents — people of all races and religions — who love this country,” said Jones, also a longtime civil rights attorney. “They are patriotic. They are devoted to this country. They just have different philosophies about how things should be run.”
He said the military remains one of the clearest examples of unity in service.
Cunningham
Dexter Cunningham of Homewood, a retired Navy veteran and longtime Birmingham police officer, agrees.
“Patriotism to me means the ability to have differing opinions and not be jailed for them,” Cunningham said. “I’ve sworn many oaths in my lifetime. None have been more meaningful than my willingness to sacrifice my life for those I don’t know and for a government that hasn’t always looked out for my best interests. My faith has always sustained me.”
Fred Shepherd, a political science professor at Samford University in Homewood, said division isn’t new.
“If you look back at history, you see a strong tradition of demonizing the opposition, sometimes without much nuance,” he said. “But there’s usually a corrective moment when people realize things have gone too far.”
While headlines and social media often amplify the loudest and most extreme voices, several people we spoke with said they don’t see that kind of division in their day-to-day lives.
Jones said those loudest voices often drive the conversation, but “that’s not mainstream.”
He said the real work of patriotism often happens through quiet efforts to listen, collaborate and give ground when needed.
“We’ve really got to focus a little bit more on how we can work together to achieve goals, knowing that we can’t always get what we want,” Jones said. “But as Mick Jagger says, ‘If you try sometime, you just might get what you need.’”
In the end, the people we spoke to shared the same instinct: That patriotism is something you live. And sometimes, the most patriotic thing you can do is simply listen.
Homewood resident Dorothy Ziss emigrated from Canada and became a U.S. citizen. Her view of patriotism is rooted in appreciation for the freedoms she now calls her own, and for a country she chose to call home.
“We live in such a wonderful country,” she said. “There are so many freedoms to do what is important to you. That’s what being American means to me.”
Tim Stephens and Malia Riggs contributed to this report.
