Americans love peace and freedom, but we have had to fight many wars over many years to gain and maintain our freedom.
It was on April 19, 1775, that “shots heard ’round the world” were fired at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, beginning our American Revolution.
Then, on July 4, 1776, Americans issued our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. But we still had to win it. And we have had to face many other challenges to keep our freedom.
Today, on Nov. 11, we honor all of our military veterans. This date was originally called Armistice Day, noting American and Allied victory ending World War I — on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. More recently, we have called it Veterans Day, to include all Americans who have served in our military forces.
The American Revolutionary War for our independence from Great Britain raged from 1775 to 1783. Though not all the numbers are certain, it involved about 217,000 American soldiers, with 4,435 of them giving their lives in combat, as 6,188 others were wounded.