Bracing Ourselves for a 250-Year Birthday Bash
Dan Williams, Teller County Commissioner
As we approach our country’s 250-year mark, we are a deeply divided Nation at war once again.
I wonder how we got here and how we have survived this long and whether we will survive another 250 years. Our history shows the reality of this historic achievement. Regardless of whether our president or congress has been democrat or republican we have been in a nearly perpetual state of war and social turmoil for all of our Nation’s history.
The one constant, has been the men and women who have answered our country’s call every time without fail, enabling our freedom and allowing our leaders the time to resolve conflict after our sacrifice through other means. Our country and its people stand on the shoulders of our military heroes who have defended our freedom and way of life since our Nations birth.
Since 1776 it has been the sacrifice of those in uniform, and those who support them, that have underwritten and guaranteed the words in our constitution, our bill of rights and our declaration of Independence. The American Revolution, War of 1812, Mexican-American War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Venezuela, and now Epic Fury in Iran… our history is not one of peace although we desire it.
It is estimated that 30 million men have served in Uniform during these conflicts and in others that supported them. Significantly, an additional two million women have also actively participated in those wars including the revolutionary war. There are many documented cases of women disguising themselves as men to fight or serve in support roles in the revolutionary war. Their numbers grew significantly in the civil war with tens of thousands serving in support roles including over 3000 nurses.
Having recently honored our fallen across the country on Memorial Day, to include numerous ceremonies in Teller County, I am reminded of the cost of our freedom.
During our 250-year history more than 1 million Americans have died in our wars and military operations to get us to this point. From Lexington and Concord to recent operations in Iran, including the 14 men and women who have perished so far in Iran, it is the blood of patriots that has guarunteed our Nation’s survival.
Just as staggering for those of us who have served in combat and survived are the wounded. History records show, for example, that 6,188 men and women were listed as wounded in the revolutionary war. Our most costly war, our own civil war cost the lives of 620,000, all Americans, on both sides of the aisle with another million wounded. Of the millions wounded in the past 250 years many of us know that the mental wounds, the invisible wounds and memories, are many times that number and must also be appreciated and respected.
So, in this time of great division, where we seem to agree on very little, we should ask ourselves how we got here, how did we make it to 250 years if we have nothing in common?
Why did we sacrifice and die if we cannot even talk to our neighbors today? We live in a time where we are either red or blue, black or white, conservative or liberal, gay or straight, a hawk or a dove….and yet have we forgotten that we are all Americans? Have we truly forgotten how to disagree respectfully or to compromise for the good of all of us? I am reminded that it is our diversity and strength of character and our belief in a vision laid out by our founding fathers which is memorialized in our founding documents that bind us.
I am reminded that during times of great adversity, such 9-11, that we are at our closest and best. Our Veterans have reminded us for 250 years that we all bleed red and if we are to see another 250 years, we need to look to their sacrifice and their history for the nobility and honor that evade us today.
In my 30 years in the military in in many theaters of war, I never saw color and I never knew anyone’s political persuasion. All I and the thousands of patriots I served with knew is that we were Americans, under one flag serving all of the American people dedicated to protecting our way of life and freedom. Let us rededicate ourselves to that same ethic as we approach our 250-year celebration.
*Dan Williams serves as a Teller County commissioner, representing District 1. He also is a former combat veteran and commander, serving stints in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition. Williams is involved in leadership positions with several local veteran-oriented organizations. He frequently does columns in this paper regarding issues dealing with veteran, military and land use issues.
