The Incredible Cost of Freedom
Posted by: Ken Campbell | 07/03/2008 5:35 PM
Bloger's note: I wrote this column last July 4th for the Auburn Journal, and they elected not to run it. The history of our country is incredible, and it is always great to remember where we have come from so we know where we are going. For more information on this time period I would recommend reading "1776" by David McCullough. Have a great 4th of July!!
The Incredible Cost of Freedom
by Ken Campbell
This July 4th we celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the
dramatic birth of our nation. It is easy to forget today that our struggle for independence
was once considered nearly impossible. A few bold and wise men shared a vision of
freedom worth risking their fortunes and even their lives. John Quincy Adams, our 6th
president and son of our 2nd president and co-signer of the Declaration of Independence,
John Adams, once said, "You will never know how much it has cost my generation to
preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it."
The cost was indeed great. In the morning of April 19, 1775 in the towns of Lexington
and Concord in Massachusetts "The shot heard 'round the world" rang out. From that
moment the ragtag militia of simple farmers would face impossible odds and near certain
annihilation. What happened next would become one of the most incredible events in
world history.
Despite winning the battle at Bunker Hill in June 1775 to take control of the city Boston,
the British took heavy casualties and realized that the colonial militia was resourceful and
determined. On July 3, 1775 George Washington was made Commander in Chief of the
Continental Army and brought in 20,000 troops to surround the British in Boston
resulting in a standoff that lasted for months. The stalemate only broke when Colonel
Henry Knox returned from Fort Ticonderoga with tens of thousands of pounds of artillery
they astonishingly moved on sleds over hundreds of miles of rough terrain. On March 4,
1776 under cover of darkness and almost complete silence, Washington's army moved in
the cannon to fortify Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston.
At daybreak the British could scarcely believe their eyes. British general William Howe
responded with a thunderous two-hour cannonade, which proved ineffective. Howe then
tried to outflank Washington and finally, realizing he was outsmarted, sailed off with his
8,906 soldiers - without the Continental Army firing a shot.
The British would return, of course, and on June 29, 1776 Howe's ships began arriving in
New York, where there were many British loyalists. By August over four hundred ships
had arrived with 32,000 British and feared Hessian (German mercenaries) troops - the
largest fleet ever seen. The British were about to launch nearly the full measure of their
military might and Washington and the Continental Army would suffer many significant
defeats in the months to follow. The signing of the Declaration of Independence on July
4, 1776 only fueled the resolve of the British assault.
Washington, who had 20,000 troops in August 1776, had about 3,500 troops only three
months later. Washington's own description of his army was "broken and dispirited."
Many were sick, hungry and altogether miserable. Troops were abandoning the army in
droves and enlistments of 2,000 troops would soon be up and they would be free to go.
The war itself was rapidly losing support among the people. In fact, it appeared as if the
war was over and the hour never looked darker. But Washington, along with others,
refused to be downcast. Thomas Paine, author of "Common Sense", wrote "The
American Crisis" with those immortal opening lines: "These are the times that try men's
souls. The summer soldier and sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service
of their country; but he that stands now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman."
Paine's pamphlet spread like wildfire and Washington's army began to grow as new
recruits came in. Washington knew he had to take the initiative and strike an aggressive
and surprising stroke. The decision was to risk everything by crossing the Delaware to
attack a Hessian outpost at Trenton, New Jersey.
The army assembled on the afternoon of Christmas Day. The men were given sixty
rounds of ammunition and food enough for three days. The troops marched to the river
crossing and the rain started to fall. By 11 pm a full-blown northeaster struck with rain,
hail, snow and wind. Ice on the river slowed the crossing and only a third of
Washington's army successfully crossed the river - three hours behind schedule. Despite
the weather and limited troops, spirits were high and Washington decided to go forward
even though they would arrive in Trenton in broad daylight rather than under the cover of
darkness, as they had planned.
Despite the fact that Washington and 2,400 of his troops arrived in daylight, the
Hessian's were taken by surprise. Within 45 minutes 21 Hessians were killed, 90
wounded and about 900 prisoners were taken. Only four of Washington's troops were
wounded in the battle and two other soldiers froze to death during the night march.
The Battle at Trenton was the first military victory for Washington since Boston and was
cause for celebration. However, the war itself would continue for another six years;
endlessly, it seemed to many. It was not until the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783 that
the war finally came to an end.
This July 4 remember that those who signed the Declaration of Independence committed
a treasonous act punishable by death. They risked everything to give us our freedom.
The passage of time should never diminish the facts that defeating Britain and the
successful creation of a new free and independent nation were never guaranteed.
It is often overlooked that the War for Independence lasted eight long years and went
through many dark days. After the Declaration was adapted, and war with Britain
imminent, General Washington and his small volunteer army of poorly trained and under-
equipped farmers and tradesmen went head to head with the best-trained, best-equipped
and most formable military force on earth. It was truly "David vs. Goliath" and the entire
world was watching, and still is.
Outstanding Job, Ken.
It is obvious why Rothe didn't print this.
Happy 4th - hope you and McClintock and the group have a great time at the Lincoln 4th of July parade today!
Ken
Thank you for posting this piece that takes us back to our Founding…
Every generation has been called up to pay their debt service to The Incredible Cost of Freedom . Two days ago, I commented on this…
http://www.redcounty.com/placercountyca/2008/07/charlie-brown-on-the-supreme-c/
There is a story within this story, an individual’s story. The story of Jim (name changed to protect his family).
Jim grow up in the Bronx. Early on in the Vietnam war, he enlisted as a Marine. He went in country as a Marine grunt to serve the usual 13 months. Marines had to out do the Army grunts.
He came to our Vietnam Vets rap group in Bloomington relatively early on.
You could always count on Jim being there for his fellow ’Nam vets. He was one of those 9 ragtag ’Nam vets who walked up College Ave. that Fourth of July carrying the VEVA banner.
You might ask how a Bronx boy would end up living far out in the sticks in the next county over from Bloomington. It was because that was quite typical of Vietnam vets suffering from combat-related PTSD. Jim’s house was on a large piece of land with a long, long gravel drive way up to his house. He chose this place because it was in a hill and this allowed him to monitor all who might approach.
Jim was married and had kids of school age, a boy and a girl. He owned his own carpet business which allowed him minimal contact with the public. His wife handled the sales and he was the carpet “mechanic”. Jim never attended school functions such as sports events despite my best efforts.
Those functions fell to his wife.
I got a call during my lunch break at work one day. It was from the (name withheld) County Sheriff’s Department. They somehow traced that I knew Jim. Jim had called the Sheriff’s Department saying he had a gun and was going to kill himself. I responded by going to the scene. There was a stand-off. They gave me their bullhorn but he wouldn’t come out. We took personal risks that we shouldn’t have. But we were able to get inside and subdue him and take him directly to Bloomington Hospital on a 72 hour commitment. He was drunker than a skunk.
Two years later, I was at Jim’s bedside at Bloomington Hospital. He was in the death throes and out of his mind with chronic severe alcoholism and alcohol induced dementia. He died.
Drinking was functional for Jim. He could not go to sleep without it.
For here is the rest of the story.
Jim was on night-time perimeter guard at one of the air bases in ‘Nam.
Perimeter guard entailed sitting in “hole(s)” spaced roughly equal distance apart. He committed the cardinal sin of guard duty. He fell asleep. When he awoke, his buddy in the “hole” to the right was found dead at the hands of those who cut your hair by day and your throat by night. Small sticks were stuck in the unseeing eyes of the Marine buddy’s corpse. That is why Jim had to use alcohol as a hypnotic to knock himself out.
Yes, there is an incredible cost of freedom. Jim paid that cost. His family paid that cost.
And that is why I see red when those who served our country are mocked, slurred, and demeaned by those who are surrogates for pols who did not see fit to serve their country…
"And that is why I see red when those who served our country are mocked, slurred, and demeaned by those who are surrogates for pols who did not see fit to serve their country…"
By your definition then, anyone who is a military veteran should run unopposed unless opposed by another veteran. Talk about narrow...
By your definition then - we need to toss almost everyone in the state legislature out of office. By Your definition then, Jennifer Bloomfield-Montgomery is ineligible to serve in office as well.
BTW - I served, does that mean then by your own words above that you are now forbidden from attacking or ridiculing me?
Charlie Brown is about as wrong for the 4th CD as Jerry Falwell would be in San Francisco.
Colonel Klink needs to stop wrapping himself in the American Flag and start campaigning on issues - you by your comment are attempting a straw-man defense of Brown. You make it look like we are attacking the uniform -
I call Charlie Brown Colonel Klink because he has proven himself to be inept (like Klink's character) and has made sure the world knows he is a retired Colonel.
The absurdity is punctuated by the fact that team Brown has sought to initiate an anal exam of any veteran that supports McClintock.
Brown stood with the soldier hung in effigy - used the city of Roseville email system to launch anti-war epitaths - and has aligned himself with Code Pink in the past.
Now he is trying to re-make himself into a Moderate and wrapping himself in the flag. Colonel Klink.
I'm not the only one annoyed with Colonel Klink - the far-left groups that bankrolled him are taking a walk.
Oh, heaven forbid - I just lit up a veteran. Military service does not make someone's views on the issues correct.
P.S. Your friend Jim's story is sad and compelling. Thanks for sharing it.
yes, Aaron, Jim and his family paid an incredible price so that you have the freedom to trash one of Jim's fellow combat vets...and the father of an USAF pilot who has multiple tours in the ME
Is this a great country or what?
Aaron...
Deric Rothe did not print this last year because it was 963 words. Deric specifies it must be under 750... and sometimes he has to cut to fill the space available. I sent him this knowing he would probably not print it but I was hoping he would make an exception.
I had already cut so much out, I did not know what else to cut. Here is a paragraph I cut:
"Twenty years after the event Washington’s stepson wrote that Washington would relive the desperate struggle of the dark days of 17776 as, “he would frequently, when sitting with his family, appear absent; his lips would move, his hands raised.”"
I found that information in a great 500-page volume called Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer. A great read that goes into detail of the 1776-77 winter campaign. The detail of Trenton 2 with Cornwallis marching to Trenton with Colonel Edward Hand and the Pennsylvania rifleman being the snipers, Washington's repelling Cornwallis from crossing the Assunpink and the daring night time movement to attack Cornwallis's rear guard at Princeton... awesome history and well worth the study!
There was incredible sacrifice for our freedom.
Ken - All this and George Washington died a pauper. Sometimes no good deed goes unpunished.
Lee - I will leave you with the same thought again, and I will repeat it again every time you try to hide Charlie Brown behind the flag.
Just like you refuse this veteran an exemption from criticism/ridicule nor should Charlie Brown be. One's military service does not exempt one from accountability or scrutiny.
C'est la vie.
Aaron
That goes without saying. Everyone who stands for office is accountable for his or her behavior. Vets get no passes for that. But by the same token, as your friend down in Arizona, Ephrem, says, you need to knock off the pre-adolescent slurs such as Tin Soldier and Colonel Klink.
No one is going to hide behind the flag. And no one is going to be slurred the way you slur Charlie. Just isn't going to happen.
We will be ready to talk real issues that have and are impacting the middle class of CA-04. Slurs do not advance this political discourse...
Lee -then please get back to my questions about gas prices, wildfires and gay marriage.
Real issues that the middle class of CA-04 care about.
I want to know why you guys oppose thinning forests, oppose drilling and refinery construction and how you think promoting Gay Marriage is a mainstream value.
Remember the little guy whose tax dollars are getting used at a record rate fighting the fires that have the little guy inhaling a ton of smoke?
Remember the little guy who is canceling his vacations because of years of Democrat policies that hamstrung road construction, stopped oil drilling and refinery construction?
Remember the little guy that sees images of same-sex weddings going on wondering why they have a louder voice and why he should accept that as constructive and normal?
Remember the little guy that fired the Republican Congress to reign in out of control spending - the freshman Democrat class of 2006 all earmarked their own districts to the tune of $11 million each directly and millions more in multi-district earmarks. Defecits with the Dems in charge are larger - and now the Democrats are campaigning on raising taxes on the little guy, because any tax cut is a tax cut for the rich.
Think Charlie Brown will be any different? His fellow veteran McNerney in CA-11 - ranked 2% on the RePork Card and 4% from the American Conservative Union... definitely out of touch with a moderate district like CA-11.
CA-04 is much more Conservative and we deserve better than a Bay-Area liberal that prefers wildfires, $5 gas, re-defining social norms and spending our money like a giant slush fund.
There... I didn't even go back to talking about Brown's monicres or past history of anti-military behavior.
No comments here about Charles Darwin to deflect the argument over- so let's have it... WWCBD?
Kentucky windage.
Aaron, Washington died a very, very rich man. Where do you get your facts?
http://www.pbs.org/georgewashington/collection/other_last_will.html
Bob - I believe GMAC can offer financing for a sense of humor.
Dale Carnegie courses can also be had for reasonable prices as well...