This July 4th will mark 241 years since the American colonies won their independence from British rule. Here are some of the facts I found from my internet research. (All numbers should be considered “rough” numbers.)

1.  50,000 America revolutionaries died either during the War for Independence or from their wounds and disease caused by the war.
2. 17,000 died from the War of 1812
3. 14,000 died from the Mexican War.
4.  750,000 died total from both sides of the Civil War.
5. 2,500 died from the Spanish-American War,
6. 110,000 died for World War 1.
7. 406,000 died from World War 2.
8. 37,000 died from the Korean War.
9. 58,300 died from the Vietnam War.
10. 295 The Gulf War.
11. 2356 The Afghanistan War.
12. 4497 The Iraq War.

Ongoing conflicts of today… who knows as it grows daily.

The point of this information is for people to realize their Freedoms were paid for by others. Your freedom to say what you want, dress how you like, follow whatever religion you want to observe, just to name a few. If you call the United States your home, it was paid in full by these people.

This July 4th, if you drink beer, drink it from a local brewery. One that supports the local economy. One that is run by people you know. People you live with, shake hands with, go to church with, and see at the grocery store. And drink this beer with an American. If they love this land, and want this country to be the best place in the world to live, it doesn’t matter what color their skin, what creed they follow, or who they choose to love. It doesn’t matter if they live here, or want to live here. If they treasure the soil they walk on, and the people that breathe the air, their soul is American. 

So the two things you should do.

If you love craft beer, drink local. Take time to tell your local brewers Thank You for what they do.

Buy a beer for someone else. If it’s someone you know, someone you don’t, or for a future patron. You never know. It might be the next person to call America their home.

I will be doing the same this 4th.

God Bless America.

Given the Once Over by Mrs. List