By Gary W. Young — gary.young@westsidestar.net
“Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners.
All were men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.
He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste.
For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember: Freedom is never free!
It’s time we get the word out that patriotism is not a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.”
I’m not prone to pick up emails and reprint them here; indeed, much of what comes across the Internet is pure balderdash. However, I took the time to fact check the preceding correspondence from my father, Gil Young, and everything passed the sniff test.
Dad is a patriotic American who, in some ways is similar to today’s front page hero, Chuck Miller.
“Gilbo” did not serve in the military — nor have I or my brother, Geff — which carries much weight when you start anointing patriots.
Yet Dad taught us at an early age to respect the flag, sing the national anthem, pledge allegiance to the flag and to hold our birth nation in strong reverence.
Mr. Miller, with his amazing war record and an accompanying gentle humility, rose up through the ranks to become a tank commander. He had to learn fast, especially since two tank commanders were killed before his eyes.
Like the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, Miller risked his life every day to liberate a nation and eventually a continent.
Where does such courage and valor originate? Is a man born with it? Is it acquired through training and education? Does man rise to the levels of those mentioned here through Divine Guidance?
Probably from those sources and others unknown, if I had to say. The beauty of valor and service to your country is making a comeback, I’m glad to report. Perhaps it started with the airline commercial where a platoon of soldiers is given a standing ovation by passengers waiting in a terminal.
Perhaps it was resurrected in the ashes of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
Regardless of when it happened, let us all rejoice in this year’s 4th of July celebration with the knowledge that the United States of America is saturated with patriots.
We come in all colors, genders and ethnic backgrounds. We’re carpenters and bankers, teachers and truck drivers, but most of all we’re proud Americans.
In my lifetime the edge has been taken off of Americanism, it seems, like we’ve somehow come to believe we owe the world an apology for being so big and so mighty.
It’s fascinating to consider that our worst enemy today is a rag-tag bunch of freedom haters, disguised as religious zealots.
They hate us for our freedom — imagine that.
But to Mr. Miller and the 56 signers of America’s birth certificate, freedom was a prize worthy of the ultimate sacrifice.
So let’s raise a toast this weekend to Great American Patriots past, present and future. Happy Birthday America.
