I attended two meetings at our small church in rural North Carolina, with riders from three counties over begging us to join the cause and fight for our freedom. All our neighbors attended and the men all voted to join the fight, whatever it took. It was not seen as optional at that time. We had to fight for a better way of life, for our family and our families’ futures. It was up to us, right now, to decide if we were willing to risk our lives and our families’ lives for our country. Would we die for America and the generations that follow? That was our choice.

Now I find myself hunkered down in a mud-filled trench waiting for the enemy to pass and praying they would not see or hear me. Blood dripping down the side of my face, a gapping hole in my arm from a knife wound, and holes in my clothes and boots on a freezing February morning. I think about what it has taken to stand up against a King and a Country. I’d left my wife of twenty-three years, two teenage sons, a six-year old daughter, and my brand-new baby boy. And, I had accepted that is was very likely they would never see me again nor I them. Fear and pain are my constant companions. But I had resolve and understood this time would change the world. I was taught the value of life and freedom. Our generation was tough and honorable.

These are the people that founded this country. Traveling across a big and scary ocean to reach a land they knew little about. Making a home by their wit and hard work. But, build the greatest country on earth they did. Imagine you were faced with such a decision today? Would you attend a meeting at your church, head home and gather your few belongings and say goodbye to your family, all for a chance at a better future? Would you give up your way of life and more than likely your very life for a cause? Imagine what went through their minds, each family member and the fears they faced. The hardships that followed they could have never imagined. The unknown and the imagination was enough to create many grief filled and panic stricken nights. Every sound brought terror as you feared what might be coming. The world was a very different place. These people, our ancestors, loved their families so much and this young, new country, that they were willing to give up everything they cherished and face the unknown.

What would our forefathers think of our Congress and Senate today? The lack of respect for our flag, our anthem by sports players (of all people), the lack of respect for the President of the United States of America. Regardless of your political persuasion, past generations were taught to respect their elders, and honor their president. Just imagine the lessons we are teaching the youth today with our words and actions. Our ancestors created one nation, under GOD, with liberty and justice for all. The freedoms we all enjoy today came at a great costs. It appears we have forgotten the history of our great nation. Compare the past, all the way from the Revolutionary war up through World War II. What did our ancestors do for us? Then think about the lessons our children have learned over the last few years:

It’s okay for politicians and even the FBI to lie, if it serves a purpose
It’s okay for the house speaker to tear up the speech of the President on live television
Prayer is NOT okay in schools
We can’t pray at little league ballgames
It’s okay to take a knee during the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag to protest something
It’s okay for all “News” channels to become Political weapons and present only one side of a story

And to think of our forefathers giving their lives just so this generation can be spoiled and disrespectful? We are the future that our ancestors fought and died for. We have more freedoms than any other nation on this planet and I think we forget how valuable those freedoms are. Do we really want to destroy the one place on earth where the human race still has a chance?

Dear future generation. Please let my life (and death) not have been in vein. We gave all we had for love of this country and future generations. What are you willing to do for your families and their future? First, we need GOD in our Senate and Congress, and in our schools. We need one nation, under GOD, the way our forefathers envisioned. We need to learn a little respect for our teachers, nurses, truckers and first responders. We’ve gone too far where athletes are our children’s heroes and our teachers struggle to find enough supplies to teach our children. So, what will we leave for the next generation? It’s time to stand up and stop letting the loud minority take away our country. It is time to fight for America, again…

Hamp Thomas
American