Outdoorsmen On Our Independence

It’s the familiar summertime tradition when smoke rises from barbecue grills in the afternoon, and then colorful fireworks displays fill the nighttime sky. That’s what often happens when Americans celebrate Independence Day, more commonly called the Fourth of July.

No matter what name you choose for the patriotic holiday, it marks the date in 1776 when the second Congress signed the Declaration of Independence.

We asked a variety of people in the outdoor world to describe what the holiday means to them. A number of them have ties to the military, which traces its origin to the date marking the celebrated birth date of the United States....