Richard Coccimiglio is quick to defend American tradition.

With his hefty voice almost hurried, always swelling to add one more uninterrupted thought, the former U. S. Navy pilot laments a nation that he says has grown self-centered, ignoring its symbols and its people.

So when a fellow veteran asked him about legislation that would change the national anthem from "The Star Spangled Banner" to "America the Beautiful," the DuBois resident put his patriotism to work.

Head of the Pennsylvania American Legion's Americanism Committee, Coccimiglio asked the group to officially support and promote the Star Spangled Banner as the country's song. They approved the motion its January meeting in Pittsburgh.

"The national anthem is the story of our nation -- you listen to the words, you understand the words, it still applies today," Coccimiglio said. "It is testimony to the constitution of the United States, that is the reason this nation was founded."

And while Coccimiglio said he does not know the exact origins of the legislation, he said it deserves the American Legion's and the nation's attention.

"I have no idea (who is sponsoring the change). The only thing that I know is that it's been coming up for the past couple of years, because (America the Beautiful) is easier to sing or violent," he said. "It's just simply ridiculous."

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For the aides of U.S. Rep. Andrew Jacobs, D-Indiana, the constantly re-surfacing interest in the bill can sometimes get foolish -- especially since Jacobs, at the request of some constituents, introduced the proposal to change the anthem a few years ago.

Even though Jacobs is not pushing the bill to vote, people keep calling in to ask about it.

"For some reason the media seems interested in this. Andy is head of the committee on social security, but instead of calling and asking him about that, they are all interested in this," said an office representative who asked not to be named.

"He doesn't think it should be scrapped -- he thinks it's very moving," she added.

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For Coccimiglio, the national anthem is more than just the song played before sporting events.

Changing the anthem is a sign of indifference -- an apathy appearing in everything from the country neglecting Vietnam War veterans; "successfully ignoring" wars in places such as Grenada and Panama, and flag desecration, which is "tearing away at the heart of the country," Coccimiglio said.

"We're losing tradition. Winston Churchill said: 'No country can survive for long without pride' and we don't have pride. If you take away the keystone, the building will fall," he said.

"It's like a termite, a little thing you can't even see and it Proponents of the switch say the country's anthem should not support violence with "rockets red glare and bombs bursting in air."

But such claims ignore the song's birth, Coccimiglio said, recalling the story of Francis Scott Key, a lawyer caught offshore during a revolutionary battle who woke the next morning and saw the famed flag.

"I don't see where it can be violent. The Star Spangled Banner is a story of history, put in rhymes and set to music," he said.

"Violence is in everything everyday. We would love to have this -- and it's a wonderful phrase (President Bush) used -- a kinder, gentler nation, but it's not a violent song, it's not a rebellious song, it's not about murder. It's about a country and

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As the 1990 Congress confronts the budget, bills including backhauling and civil rights and another election year, Jacobs' bill is certainly not a top priority on Capitol Hill.

"He's very serious about this. He thinks the Star Spangled Banner is very difficult to sing and it is too warlike, but I don't think Andy is seriously pushing this," said U.S. Rep. William Clinger, R-Pa. "It's an idea whose time I don't think has come."

And Coccimiglio said the American Legion is working nationally toward a number of important issues, such as helping the victims of Agent Orange exposure.

But the anthem's proposed change relates to the nation's more pressing matters, Coccimiglio said.

"I saw what our freedom really is to us, what it means to have a chance -- in other countries you don't have a chance, the government gives you what they want," Coccigmilio said, explaining his Navy days in the 1960s and his current perspective of American life.

"We have to hold to our traditions," the veteran said. "What's inside that tradition is much, much history."