"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

Does the John F. Kennedy quote above call out to you? For many, the feelings expressed above strike a chord. To these individuals, the patriotic spirit is very strong. Many feel that the best way to carry out this sentiment is through career choice. And that's where this book comes in. It describes a wide range of occupations that will allow you to express the patriotic spirit in your heart.

Is the patriotic path proper for you? Take the following self-test and you'll find out!

1. Do you have an especially strong feeling about allegiance to your country?

2. Would you be willing to relocate to another part of the country or even the world?

3. Could you adjust to unconventional work schedules?

4. Are you self-confident about your abilities?

5. Do you have a willingness to serve others and your country?

6. Do you enjoy meeting and dealing with many kinds of people?

7. Are you flexible about living conditions -- possibly difficult ones?

8. Are you comfortable with an element of danger in your work?

9. Are you willing to make great sacrifices for your country and your fellow men and women?

10. Are you willing to risk your own well-being for the well-being of others?

In a large number of cases, patriotism seems to run in families. Did you know about these presidents' children who also served in the government?

• John Quincy Adams -- son of John Adams
  Minister to the Netherlands from 1794 to 1796
  Minister to Germany from 1796 to 1801
  Senator of Massachusetts from 1803 to 1808
  Minister to St. Petersburg from 1809 to 1811
  Negotiator of Treaty of Ghent in 1814
  Minister to Great Britain from 1815 to 1817
  Secretary of State from 1817 to 1825
  President from 1825 to 1829
  Representative from Massachusetts from 1831 to 1848
  

• Charles Francis Adams -- son of John Quincy Adams
  Representative from Massachusetts from 1859 to 1861
  Minister to Great Britain from 1861 to 1868
  

• John Scott Harrison -- son of William Henry Harrison
  Representative from Virginia from 1893 to 1897
  

• Robert Todd Lincoln -- son of Abraham Lincoln
  Secretary of War from 1881 to 1885
  Minister to Great Britain from 1889 to 1893
  

• James Rudolph Garfield -- son of James Garfield
  Secretary of the Interior from 1907 to 1909
  

• Theodore Roosevelt Jr. -- son of Theodore Roosevelt
  Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1921 to 1924
  Governor of Puerto Rico from 1929 to 1932
  Governor General of the Philippines from 1932 to 1933
  

• Robert Alphonso Taft -- son of William Howard Taft
  Senator from Ohio from 1939 to 1953
  

• Charles Phelps Taft -- son of William Howard Taft
  Mayor of Cincinnati from 1955 to 1957
  

• Herbert Hoover Jr. -- son of Herbert Hoover
  Undersecretary of State for Middle Eastern Affairs from 1954 to 1957
  

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. -- son of F.D.R.
  Congressman from New York from 1949 through 1955
  Undersecretary of Commerce from 1963 to 1965
  Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity
  Commission from 1965 to 1966
  

• James Roosevelt -- son of F.D.R.
  Representative from California from 1955 to 1965
  

• Elliott Roosevelt -- son of F.D.R.
  Mayor of Miami Beach from 1965 to 1967
  

• George W. Bush -- son of George Bush
  Governor of Texas in 1995 to serve until 2003
  

• John Ellis (Jeb) Bush -- son of George Bush
  Governor of Florida in 1999 to serve until 2003
  

  Fathers and Daughters

  Several women followed their fathers in serving the nation as senators and representatives.

• Ruth Hanna McCormick -- daughter of Senator Mark Hanna
  Representative from Illinois from 1929 to 1931
  

• Ruth Bryan Owen -- daughter of William Jennings Bryan
  Representative from Florida from 1929 to 1933
  

• Clare Boothe Luce -- stepdaughter of Representative Albert E. Austin
  Representative from Connecticut from 1943 to 1947
  

• Louise Goff Reece -- daughter of Senator Guy Despard Goff
  Representative from Tennessee from 1961 to 1963
  

• Lucille Roybal-Allard -- daughter of Representative Edward Roybal
  Representative from California who began serving in 1993
  

• Susan Molinari -- daughter of Representative Guy Molinari
  Representative from New York from 1990 to 1997
  

Perhaps you will be the one in your family to initiate this patriotic trend. Or you may follow in the footsteps of other members of your family who have already entered one of the patriotic fields -- law enforcement, firefighting, the Peace Corps, the military, careers on foreign soil, politics, or government. All of these areas are open to patriotic souls.

The essence of patriotism was clearly expressed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, in words attributed as his last: "I've always loved my wife. I've always loved my children. I've always loved my grandchildren. And I have always loved my country."