Recently people seem very proud to be American.

I must admit, I too have been caught up in this rush of pride. When I went home this past week, I realized something important.

It’s harvest season in Iowa.

OK, you say, what on Earth does that have to do with pride in our country? Well, a lot.

In the United States, especially in Iowa, we have a lot to be proud of in agriculture and many other professions.

It is something that we often forget in times of nationalistic fervor. There are Americans who serve other people and the United States in many ways.

Go ahead, just take a car a few miles in any direction from our campus. You find expansive fields of golden grain, interrupted by the occasional glimmer of a grain silo and an accompanying acreage. On those acreages live people who work tirelessly to produce crops that help to feed people around the country and globe.

As a human being and an American, I am proud of our agricultural accomplishments and our ability to make sensible use of some of the world’s most fertile soil. Furthermore, our thanks go to the people who are working hard to preserve our fertile soil and environment for future generations of agriculturalists.

From the people who terrace their fields to reduce the amount of topsoil erosion, to those who leave buffer strips in their fields along creeks, to those who take advantage of the latest no-till/reduced till techniques, Americans are leading the way in production as well as responsible agriculture.

In addition to farmers, our thanks and pride to American educators. Teachers in this country are probably in their line of work because they love their students and their job. Certainly, it can be a very personally gratifying career, but not a lucrative one.

Teachers are as devoted as anyone else. Some Americans risk it all to teach in inner-city schools where crime and discouragement run rampant. Others work in poor, rural districts where the poverty is all-encompassing. They too risk it all for their country. Many teachers choose to work with troubled and handicapped students to bridge the gap in the classroom and make an honest difference.

They too serve fellow Americans and help to ensure the prosperity of future generations.

Well.

Those people who work for aid agencies and non-profit organizations that have the daunting task of trying to make a significant difference in the world. These people put their lives on hold and often on the line to work toward a common dream. Whether the cause is breast cancer research, economic development programs for poverty-stricken areas, or eradicating hunger and homelessness, they fight for it.

These people are the Americans that run soup kitchens in Newark, that administer employment and education centers on the Pine Ridge American Indian Reservation and that work to protect natural resources and fragile ecosystems in Oregon.

Still others are the Americans who go abroad with humanitarian agencies to work for justice and peace in Sierra Leone and other war-torn places of the world. They take their American ideals of equality and justice and put them to work in other nations. Those ideals often have resulted in the imprisonment or death of Americans in places like Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.

Social workers also deserve out heartfelt appreciation. People in the social services assist those Americans who are troubled and less fortunate.

They often have discouraging work, but day in and day out they work untiringly to empower those with mental or physical disabilities, shattered childhoods, and troubled homes. Like educators and humanitarians, they work in challenging environments for unselfish satisfaction as their primary reward.

The list could continue. Americans volunteer as sports coaches, school assistants, rescue workers, hospital aides and firefighters. They give of their time and talents to make our country something to be proud of.

We are a nation of diverse opinions, people and cultures. In time of nationalism and pride it is easy to forget that Americans give their time and talents in different ways and to many people.

It is a prime opportunity to showcase and give thanks to those people risk so much in all facets of American society.

Thank someone who has made a difference in your life. And remember those Americans in this very trying and defining time that labor behind the scenes without attention or thanks. They are American teachers, social workers, farmers, and volunteers of all kinds.

We can show our patriotism by thanking them for their work and showing pride for their selfless service to our nation and to humanity.

Omar Tesdell is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from Slater. He is online editor of the Daily.