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Our life in Cuba is idyllic, but dad knows Castro can spell danger. So we received a visa at the Proud To Be An Air Force Papa American Flag Sweet Shirt U.S. embassy (harassed as we queued waiting) and we fled. When on American soil, my parents basically lost everything. As for the kids, we didn’t know we were actually moving until we landed. Until my father ordered: “Become an American.”

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I don’t feel American. Not knowing the language was a big hurdle, and my parents barely spoke it. I even saw a few signs that said “No Blacks, No Cubans, No Dogs”. But he intended the so-called Americanness so much that he moved us to North Miami, where no one spoke Spanish. For four or five years, I felt like an outsider.
We’ll never forget her grudge. Whether it was her carte or the misguided advice of a nun at St. James Elementary School, who suggested I change my name from Carlos to Charles, becoming “American” seemed an invulnerable goal, a goal that required us to give up our own identity.

The rest is history, isn’t it? In my first game, I caught a 70-yard pass to help the Proud To Be An Air Force Papa American Flag Sweet Shirt Gators upset a much-favored Houston team. I was quickly dubbed the “Cuban Comet” before becoming a literal consensus American. And after catching the winning touch of the ball in the 1969 Gator Bowl game, I became an American citizen. I was at peace – at the same time Cuban and American.
Well, there’s one thing. There is nothing more American than protest – use your freedom of speech to fight for things you believe in.

I am opposed to Vietnam at a time when athletes are actually said to be “silent and driving” when Muhammad Ali and others like Tommie Smith and John Carlos of Olympians are pointing out the first steps for athletes to join the political system. I received letters asking me to go back to Cuba, a lot of letters. But I have always believed that supporting your beliefs is an essential part of American citizenship. It’s a muscle; if you don’t practice, you’ll lose it.

Like many people, I represent the Proud To Be An Air Force Papa American Flag Sweet Shirt American Dream. We love, motivate, and support America. However, promoting America doesn’t mean you’re not promoting the rest of the world. America (well, should) take the lead, despite recent setbacks.