Memorial Day Message
We, descendants of the heroes of the American Revolution, who by their sacrifices, established the United States of America, reaffirm our faith in the principles of liberty and our Constitutional Republic, and solemnly pledge ourselves to defend them against every foe.
Compatriots,
As members of the Sons of the American Revolution, Memorial Day provides us an opportunity each year to reflect on the tremendous sacrifice that our ancestors made in the establishment of our nation, and in securing the freedoms we enjoy today. We owe a tremendous debt to all of those who paid the ultimate price to establish this country.
An estimated 6,800 Americans were killed in action during the Revolutionary war, but historians believe that at least an additional 17,000 deaths were the result of disease, including about 8,000 – 12,000 who died while prisoners of war[1]. While unreliable, the estimate for the casualties among British regular forces fighting in the Revolutionary was is around 24,000[2] men. This includes deaths on the battlefield, from injuries or disease, taken prisoner, or who remained missing.
Approximately 1,200 Hessian soldiers were also killed, 6,354 of disease, and another 5,500 deserted and settled in America afterwards (including my direct ancestor, Henry Hinzman, who after learning more about the great cause the Americans were engaged in, joined the Pennsylvania Artillery and fought with the continental forces until the end of the war).
When we joined the SAR, we made a conscious choice to become part of an organization committed to honoring the brave legacy of our forefathers in their quest for American independence. I ask that you take time today to not only think about what a tremendous sacrifice these soldiers made while fighting for their independence, but you also share this with someone and talk about what this day, and the sacrifices so many have made during and since the revolution, mean to you and our nation.
“Until we meet again, let us remember our obligations to our forefathers, who gave us our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, an independent Supreme Court and a nation of free men.”
Joel Hinzman
President
[1] Figures according to American Battlefields Trust - https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/american-revolution-faqs
[2] Ibid