Lost American values threaten freedom

I just returned from a historical tour of the Revolutionary War Boston area including the Freedom Trail, Lexington, Concord, and Quincy (home of John and John Quincy Adams). It was an eye opening experience seeing first hand how our forefathers (and foremothers) lived and what they stood for.

All Americans at that time lived very hard lives filled with hard work every day. Everybody had to pull their own weight and contribute to their own and the communities success just to survive. In much of America (and certainly in Lexington and Concord), every able bodied man served in the militia to protect the community and was required to own a rifle and ammunition and be prepared at a moments notice to defend the community from all threats These men and women stood up to the most powerful military in the world and fought for eight years, suffered greatly, and died over the principle of freedom. They lost battle after battle yet they were unwilling to give up despite seeing their homes burned and neighbors killed. And in the end, pure determination and courage led to our freedom and the establishment of the United States of America.

Our forefathers suffered all of these hardships and eventually won their freedom by living the principles of duty, honor, country, self reliance and self sacrifice. They were willing to risk everything including their homes and their lives for these principles.

In our current world of instant gratification, irresponsible spending and victim mentality, I wonder if we would have the will, discipline, commitment to those same principles, and determination to gain that freedom today. I wonder.

Randy Rossi

Grayslake