Happy Birthday, America!

So here we are, ready to celebrate 250 years – America’s birthday.

To most of us, that sounds like a long time, but is it really?

The City-State Era of the Greek Empire lasted about 400 years and there were other eras of the Greek Empire. The Roman Empire existed for nearly 1,500 years though split into three distinct parts and periods of time. The Mayan Empire was around for about 3,700 years, though there are also distinct and different periods. The British Empire can be said to have been around for over 500 years, and there are others.

So, reaching 250 years while certainly a milestone and to be celebrated, is not the end-all and be-all of lengthy civilizations.

But we should celebrate it and do so with fervor remembering those that fought and died in this country’s first war when freedom was at stake and the outcome tenuous at best.

Thirteen small colonies stood against the might of the British Empire at a time when Britannia truly did rule the waves, was a true David versus Goliath fight. The odds were almost all on the side of the British.

After defeating many enemies including France, Scotland, Ireland and others over the course of the British Empire, the Brits forgot something important.

These colonials, fledging Americans and ruggedly independent, were fighting not just a king across the ocean but for their families, their homes, their land, their way of life, and most importantly their freedom.

These were true heroes. They were farmers and merchants, blacksmiths and carpenters, teachers and tradesmen, ranchers and lawyers, some academics, and even some too young to serve — yet they were. Many, if not most, received little formal training yet they all shared the dream of freedom. Uniforms could be rare commodities, meals were sometimes what they could scavenge or hunt, weapons were often what the individual person had. They were cold in the winter, hot in the summer, and shoes or boots might be a luxury, worn out too soon.

Despite the shortcomings, the colonial army and militia took up arms and squared off against the might of experienced British regulars and German mercenaries – and won.

It was a costly fight.

The military forces of the Thirteen Colonies, soldiers and militia, suffered about 25,000 dead. That number might not be impressive today, but that was an average of over 1,900 men from each colony.

In addition, the colonial armies and militia suffered 8,000 wounded and over 11,000 captured for a total of 44,000 killed, wounded or captured. That was almost 3,400 from each of the colonies.

We owe a huge debt to the men – and women – who defeated the great British Empire to secure their freedom and ours as well.

I AM old enough to remember the bicentennial celebration of America’s birthday in 1976. I was 20 years old at the time and massive celebrations were held across the country. Jimmy Carter was campaigning for President, and would win. The movie “Rocky’ premiered and was a huge success, launching the career of Sylvester Stallone. Hank Aaron would hit homerun number 755, the last homerun of his career and NASA unveiled the Space Shuttle “Enterprise”.

Now we celebrate the semiquincentennial, or 250th birthday of the United States of America, where freedom still reigns. A country where opportunities abound for anyone who chooses to grab the reigns.

On this momentous occasion, let us hope that everyone can set aside their differences for a few hours to celebrate the birth of this great country, the sacrifices made to bring it into being, and what this country represents.

Happy birthday, America!

That’s my opinion.

Andy Kober can be reached at andykober@hotmail.com