My little brother Sam is a Second Lieutenant in the 173rd Airborne in the United States Army. He has been stationed in Vicenza, Italy since August 2021 and while he loves Italy (and traveling around Europe whenever he has leave) he does miss his home in Michigan.

Between 160,000-180,000 active-duty military personnel are stationed outside the United States. And while my brother does sometimes feel like he’s becoming more and more Italian every day, he’s still an American — an American who works every day to protect our country and its people.

My husband Seth loves to barbeque over the Independence Day holiday, usually smoking a pork shoulder for 14-16 hours and inviting all our friends in town to come chow down on our deck. We’re planning a barbeque for this year, and I know I’ll miss my brother a little extra that day. I wish I could airmail him a package of pulled pork and our grandmother’s famous potato salad.

Sam graduated from the ROTC program at Western Michigan University with a degree in Entrepreneurial and Industrial Engineering — I’m continually amazed that my smart, successful little brother managed to earn his degree while also going through military training for four years. He’s been waiting to serve in the Army for a long time and I couldn’t be prouder of him for his amazing commitment to his country.

This 4th of July, keep America’s deployed service members in mind as you celebrate with your family and friends. Remember that thousands of our country’s brave military members are celebrating America’s freedom from afar. To all Americans living somewhere else this summer, Happy Independence Day!