Veterans Day Reflections- Guest Post

Battle of Lexington Memorial, Lexington Green, Boston, Massachusetts

Today's post is by John Coyle -"First American Veterans"

"One of the underlying themes in "The American Revolution" series on PBS, November 16, is the concept of citizenship. Master filmmaker and storyteller Ken Burns tells us that the conflict was many things: a battle to control valuable land, a civil war, a demand for representation. But the colonists also fought so that they could be more than mere subjects. They wanted to citizens, to have agency. And it was a struggle that by necessity involved all socio-economic classes, from aristocrats to slaves, and everyone in between.

About one hundred thousand served in the Continental Army and in the state militias, and they can rightly be called America's first Veterans. They fought for an idea that I first encountered in prep school Latin class - "Civis Romanus sum." Roman citizenship was a very big deal. "I am a Roman citizen" carried enormous weight in the ancient world, and the concepts of civic rights and responsibilities continue to evolve today.

Veterans Day is a good time to remember that citizenship is worth fighting for. Not with arms, perhaps, but with words and deeds and goodwill - in your own way, as you see fit. In that sense we are all veterans, and the fight is worth it."

John Coyle is the author of the memoir, Saving Shots, Saving Grace. He also contributes a column to his community newsletter. Today's post is his November column. He is a student of my Transformational Journaling classes. If you wish to contact John his email is johnecoyle@comcast.net