On a crisp morning of April 19, 1775, 80 Lexington militiamen emerged from Buckman Tavern and stood in ranks on the village common. They were in plain sight (not hiding behind walls) as they faced a force up to 400 British troops.
Lexington militiamen were not train military man. They where farmers, blacksmiths, friends, neighbors, servants and printers, fathers, grandfathers, husbands, brothers, cousins and sons. They where Americans.
And on this day, they stood ground to show of political and military determination. As a single shot of fired, marked the opening of the American Revolutionary war and the beginning of American existence. At days end 3,800 colonials joined to fight off 1,500 British troops. 94 colonial Americans lost their lives that day.
From that day of April 19, 1775 to present day, 1.3 million American lost their lives to protect Americans rights of freedom, liberty and pursuit of happiness. And many more will fall.
Let's honor our fallen and not forget.
American Revolutionary War: +50,000
War of 1812: +25,000
American Civil War: 646,392
World War I: 320,518
World War II: 670,846
Korean War: 53,686
Vetnam War: 58,209
War on Terror: Iraq War and Afghanistan: 5,796
