hey all, got this email today thought it was good so i'm posting it.

enjoy


>We are days from one of the most important Holidays of our Nation, so it is
>time to remember?
>
>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, 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.
>
> 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!

flippin hell, that must have been an extremly hard time for those people

That is very true. For those of us that have served in our respective countries militaries it is normally with much pride that we do so.

These are times that we need to remember and appreciate those that are actively serving around the world and at home. And pray for their safe return...

AMEN