Well, it is Independence Day once again. Children everywhere are playing with sparklers and scaring the old lady next door with M-80 firecrackers. Families are eating hot dogs and tossing a football around. All is well in their world.
For this I am thankful. But as most people know, nothing comes without a cost. This independence wasn’t given to the USA. No, it was fought for. And, as one can imagine, many people died for the independence that we enjoy and, probably, take for granted.
So, I took it upon myself to do a little digging and see how many deaths it took to get us here. If you disagree with something, please let me know. I am by no means a history buff, thus I’m bound to make an error.
Conflict Enrolled Combat Other Wounded Total Revolutionary War 217,000 4,435 * 6,188 10,623 War of 1812 286,730 2,260 * 4,505 6,765 Mexican War 78,718 1,733 11,550 4,152 17,435 Spanish-American War 306,760 385 2,061 1,662 4,108 World War I 4,734,991 53,513 63,195 204,002 320,710 World War II 16,112,566 292,131 115,185 670,846 1,078,162
I know, some of you are thinking I missed some wars. But today is the day we celebrate our independence. I’m sorry, but I don’t think the Civil War, Indian Wars, Spanish-American War, Korea, Vietnam, or any of the Gulf wars have any relevance to our own independence. Rather, most of these wars had the purpose of either helping a nation become independent (most notably the Gulf wars) or, as is the case in both the Indian Wars and the Civil War, preventing independence.
Thus I put forth this number: 546,448. What does it mean? 546,448 people who gave their lives for something that they believed in. Am I saying that we shouldn’t have fun today? To think that someone would not want to take part in something so great even when the price has already been paid would be a travesty. I’m just saying that we should be vigilant in not forgetting the reason why we have our independence. Where it not for God almighty and 21,736,765 people willing to serve, of which 546,448 paid the ultimate price, we very well could be speaking with an accent even more confusing than the southern dialect I so enjoy.
In closing I’d like to point out one more thing concerning independence. According to the Bible we are all born slaves to sin and we will all die as such, unless we receive the gift of salvation. Salvation brings with it independence, for the Word of God says plainly, he who the Son sets free, is free indeed. This, like our nations independence, has already been paid for. To not accept it and enjoy it, would be a travesty of the greatest proportions.
Happy Independence Day America!
Notes: In the graph above combat deaths refers to troops killed in action or dead of wounds. Other includes deaths from disease, privation, and accidents, and includes losses among prisoners of war. Wounded excludes those who died of their wounds, who are included under Combat Deaths. Note that the wounded figures do not include cases of disease.
Sources:
http://www.va.gov/pressrel/amwars01.htm
http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/cwc/other/stats/warcost.htm
http://members.aol.com/usregistry/allwars.htm
