happy 4th of july
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  1. #1

    happy 4th of july

    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: 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, Gwinett, 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 to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.







    Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall and straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of the declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."







    They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books told you a lot of what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government!

    Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. 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! I hope you show your support by sharing this with as many people as you can. 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.

    ~Author Unknown~
    Contributed by: Harry Updegraff, Jr.


  2. #2

    Thumbs up Great Post

    With the 4th of July quickly approaching it is certainly time to reflect on what this freedom of ours truly means and what the true costs were and still are. Many on this site were called on to protect that very freedom and risked their lives. I am sure they have a better understanding of that price than I ever will.

    When I joined the Corps I knew that I could someday be called on to fight for this country. I was prepared to defend the freedom we already have. Yet I wonder to myself if I would have done what those 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence did. Risk their lives for something they didn't already have or for something they may never live long enough to enjoy. I would like to say "yes, I would have been that brave"...however I don't know if I would have. Would you?

    Those 56 men deserve a lot of credit as do all the men and women that have defended that freedom since. The 4th of July is more than beer, picnics and baseball...but it is nice to have the freedom to enjoy beer, picnics and baseball.

    Semper Fidelis,

    jerry


  3. #3

    Thumbs up Right on Shaffer

    I myself would have been proud fight for this country. For the many of pople that died for our freedow and the fight that we have to keep it. Reflects on the past and present.
    I have experience the pleasure to work for the best Marines there is that fought in Vietman and Desert Storm and SOme was killed now fighting for our freedowm with Bin Laden.
    This 4th of July we will celebrate it with the honor of working and remebering the ones that were lost and to enjoy this many advantage to freedowm that our children have.

    Semper Fi to all Marines and our Supporters
    Heather


  4. #4

    Cool The 4th of July

    THE FOURTH OF JULY
    John Pierpont

    Day of glory! Welcome Day!
    Freedom's banners greet thy ray;
    See! how cheerfully they play
    With thy morning breeze,
    On the rocks where pilgrims kneeled,
    On the heights where squadrons wheeled,
    When a tyrant's thunder pealed
    O'er the trembling seas.
    God of armies! did thy stars
    On their courses smite his cars;
    Blast his arm, and wrest his bars
    From the heaving tide?
    On our standards! lo! they burn.
    And, when days like this return,
    Sparkle o'er the soldier's urn
    Who for freedom died.
    God of peace! whose spirit fills
    All the echoes of our hills,
    All the murmur of our rills,
    Now the storm is o'er,
    O let freemen be our sons,
    And let future Washingtons
    Rise, to lead their valiant ones
    Till there's war no more!

    Sempers,

    Roger



  5. #5
    Independence..Freedom..Marine Corps!!


    Hope everyone enjoys this Independence Day. Freedom is Not Free.
    Semper Fi, Marines.


  6. #6

  7. #7

    Happy B'day America


  8. #8
    Marine Free Member Sixguns's Avatar
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    Exclamation Truer words have never been spoken

    The original post was enlightening!
    Our founding fathers gave everything they had. Everything they held sacred in defense of a thought and spirit that this country should be independent. They fought for this belief and the desire to be liberated from tyrannical rule.

    For the many millions of people who migrated to this country or who were born in this country the many years after the Revolutionary War, they may not have realized the commitment and sacrifice that was made in order to establish what we know today as the most powerful and greatest nation on Earth.

    For those of us who have served, I think we can related to the sacrifices made. Like the original signers of the Declaration of Indepence, we gave of ourselves to a nation and its beliefs. We risked our own lives for the spirit and belief that our nation must maintain its sovreignty.

    I am proud of my military service and all the thousands like me who made it possible for us to enjoy the quality of life and freedoms we enjoy today. Happy Birthday, America.

    Sixguns


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