WASHINGTON — For the first time since the conflict in Vietnam, the United States is at war during Independence Day.
   The global war on terrorism brings new meaning to the Fourth of July holiday. The celebration of U.S. freedom is muted in many homes because of death or the absence of loved ones off serving the country.
   July 4, 1776, was also celebrated during a time of war. As the Second Continental Congress voted for independence in Philadelphia, the British fleet sailed into the harbor of New York to land soldiers.
   Americans knew from the moment the Declaration of Independence was approved that they were embarking on a new course. The war for independence had started in April, 1775, when Patriot and British forces traded volleys at Lexington and Concord, Mass. The Continental Congress established the Continental Army on June 14, 1775, and appointed George Washington as its commander the next day.
   From the first shots until July 4, 1776, Patriot forces would battle the British army or their Tory allies (colonists loyal to Britain) in more than a dozen significant face-offs... More

   WASHINGTON, July 4, 2002 — Security is at unprecedented levels for Fourth of July celebrations all around the country, and nowhere is it so apparent as the national celebration in Washington, D.C. Still, people should try to enjoy the holiday, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz said.
   Speaking from the National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial on the national morning news shows, Wolfowitz said the best way to show the terrorists they haven't changed our way of life is to celebrate our nation's freedom.
   "We know they're out there plotting. We know they're trying to kill Americans, and this isn't the only day they'll try," Wolfowitz said. "What we can't do is let them drive us away from our way of life."
   It's a day to be alert, he said, "but it's also a day to celebrate." Celebrating the Fourth will send a message to the terrorists: "We're winning; they can't win."
   While people are celebrating, they should also remember the men and women in uniform in the armed services, police forces and other emergency responders "who are on the front lines of the fight against terrorism," he said. "This is more than just a big party. This is a day ... to mark what this country stands for."
   Wolfowitz said he believes "the incredible feats of our men and women in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world" surprised the world and surprised the terrorists. However, he added, driving the terrorists out of Afghanistan didn't end the worldwide threat of terror.
   Some Sept. 11 terrorists were in this country for at least two years, he noted. Officials, he added, can't be sure there aren't more out there waiting for their chance to attack.
   Terrorist cells have been found in such disparate places as Hamburg, Germany, and Jacksonville, Fla., Wolfowitz said, and they're still "burrowed in" in some 60 countries. More