Mine involve the piece of territory pictured above: the US Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia situated on the Atlantic Ocean.
I grew up on a compound just outside of Monrovia also on the Atlantic. Every Fourth of July all the Americans on the station, or at the least, all who had children loaded up and drove to the embassy for a party that was a child's delight. There was all the food and drink we could stuff into our tummies for free. There were games and contests with prizes for every age. There was music and fun. The only boring part was a short speech at the start by the ambassador. Then came the national anthem which we all sang.
And then the party was on!
Hot dogs, ice cream, soda, cotton candy, laughter and running and shrieking — we had so much fun.
Wish I had pictures to show you.
So what do your childhood memories of the Fourth of July look like?
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Footnote: The picture above is of the 48th CBRN at the US Embassy in Monrovia with the Atlantic in the background. Probably very close to where our parties once took place behind the embassy. The image is from the US Army Africa account on Flickr and its description reads:
Soldiers and guests of the 48th Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Brigade pay honors to the flag of the United States of America at the 48th CBRN BDE colors uncasing ceremony in support of Operation United Assistance at the U.S. Embassy Monrovia, Liberia, March 20, 2015. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Capt. Chi L. Truong)
Flickr link