Defending our Freedom

In light that it has been Veteran’s Day weekend, it is only fitting that Al and I spent our time paying respect and honoring those that have fought for our freedom. It really started last week with our trips to Boston. But this weekend we started by visiting the U.S.S New Jersey which sits on the Delaware River in Camden, NJ. Our most decorated battleship, she was commissioned four times and served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the Persia Gulf. This was our first tour of a battleship. It was very interesting to learn how she has defended our country and those sailors that served on her. She was even a flag ship for Admiral Halsey during WWII.

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Yesterday we spent our day in the birthplace of our country and the first capital, Philadelphia. Mind you, one day is not enough to visit all of the wonderful historic sights, visit museums and learn more about our founding father’s and the history of our government. Our first stop was in line to see the Liberty Bell. We walked around the Independence Mall seeing such sights as Christ Church, Ben Franklin’s grave, Philosophical Hall, Carpenter’s Hall where the First Continental Congress met, the Betsy Ross house, the first and second banks of the nation, and finally, Independence Hall. It is hard to imagine what this country would be like if it were not for the fortitude, determination, foresight and that deep desire to be free of such men as Ben Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, or John Jay, to name a few.

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Finally, today we went to Valley Forge, PA. No battles were fought here except that against the weather, hunger, cold, lack of supplies and disease. In December 1777, Washington moved his troops to the area to wait out the winter as British troops occupied Philadelphia. Strategically, the valley was an excellent place to keep watch on the British Army and their possible advancement. But it was a cold, bitter winter and the army was lacking in food, clothing, and shoes. 2,000 men were lost to disease. Conditions were harsh. Amazingly, they refused to give-up and preserved in spite of conditions they endured.

We had already been at war for three years at this point with an army of hodge podge soldiers from the different colonies. All with different fighting techniques and an alliance to their new “country” which was actually the colony from which they hailed. Wahington tasked Fredrick Von Steuben to train the ragtag group into one fighting army with a common cause. This was a turning point in the war and why Valley Forge was so pivotal in uniting the country.