By NATE LaMAR
Guest Columnist
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (II Corinthians 3:17)
As our nation is about to celebrate its Semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, it brings back childhood memories of “The Spirit of ’76.”
Growing up with both parents as teachers, they instilled in me a deep respect for our nation’s heritage. Knowing that Revolutionary War sites would be too crowded in the Bicentennial year, it was in Summer 1975 that we made a family vacation to Virginia. This included Yorktown National Battlefield, Williamsburg, Jamestown, the Shirley, Berkley, and Westover plantations, President Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, and a family cemetery in Staunton.
About this time, I learned of Revolutionary War ancestors from my father’s side of the family. They included Virginia Militia Captain Reuben Harrison and Captain Absalom James LaMar, whose family’s homestead in Golden Beach, Md., saw British Revolutionary war soldiers riding horses through the house searching for him! These qualified my father, brother, and me for membership in Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). More recently, my mother became a member of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) after researching details of two of her ancestors, Lieutenant James Higgins and Private Jesse Womack, both of whom also served in the Virginia Militia.
As my forebears served in militias of their colonies, it reminds me that the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps actually pre-date our independence! In June 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the enlistment of expert riflemen from such militias to serve the United Colonies. Then in 1784, the Congress of the Confederation officially established the US Army.
In October 1775, the Continental Congress authorized creation of the Continental Navy to intercept British supply ships. Then the Naval Act of 1794 authorized construction of six original frigates and officially established the US Navy.
In November 1775, the Continental Congress established the Continental Marines to serve as infantry troops capable of fighting on land or sea during the American Revolution. They became the U.S. Marine Corps.
In 1790, an original 10 cutters were built and became the Revenue Cutter Service. In 1915, it was merged with the U.S. Life-Saving Service to form the U.S. Coast Guard.
Originally known as the Army Air Service, then the Army Air Corps, then the U.S. Army Air Forces, it was in 1947 that the U.S. Air Force was officially established as a separate branch. Then, growing out of the Air Force, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 created the U.S. Space Force. For our freedom, we can thank these six branches of the armed services!
Whether your family has been here 400 years or four years, whether you are a veteran or not, this year we will see many America 250 events take place throughout the country. I urge you to take your children and grandchildren not only to sites where Revolutionary War history took place, but also to attend America 250 events closer to home. Please instill in them “The Spirit of ’76!”
Nate LaMar, a career international manager, serves as Military Academy Liaison Officer (West Point recruiter) for East Central Indiana, and served as Henry County Council President from 2009 to 2019.
Be the first to comment on "The Spirit of ’76 marks 250 years of freedom"