It had been sixteen years since the alien invasion had been driven back by the joint earth forces. Just a month after the invasion had been dealt with and new leadership had been chosen for the countries that had been targetted directly the UN met. Fortunately it was the democratic nations who had something in place to choose a next in line that got hit, otherwise it might have taken a while longer. Only China, due to it's massive population, got hit of the non-democratic nations and the transition between communist to democratic had gone surprisingly easy all things considered.

Today was July Fourth and used to be known as America's independence day. Now though, the United Earth Government had declared it to be a new holiday. Remembrence Day, not many holidays were named so bluntly in terms of what they were about. The UEG had declared it as a day to remember not just what happened July Fourth, 1996 but to remember that the people have far more in common than there shall ever be differences.

Today found Colonel Steven Hiller standing at his barbeque happily flipping burgers. As he looked around at Former President Whitmore, David Levinson and his wife Constance, and all their friends he couldn't help but remember something he yelled in anger at one of the alien invaders while he dragged it to Area 51.

"I could have been at a barbeque."