A young woman was stunned by the conditions of the troops when she visited the Jockey Hallow encampment during the Revolutionary War. Ten thousand unwashed, poorly-clothed, poorly-fed, American soldiers were packed into drafty log huts during the bitter cold winter. She brought up the topic of the poor conditions of the troops with one of the officers.

In response, the officer told the woman about a conversation he had recently overheard between some soldiers who were standing around a campfire. It was a motley group of Yankees, Irishmen, Negroes, Buckskins and others. They weren’t talking about the difficult conditions they were enduring. Instead, they were talking about whether or not it was right to kill the Hessians at the Battle of Trenton on Christmas Day early in the war. The soldiers felt sorry for the Hessians because they had no choice to fight. They were sent by a king.

They, on the other hand, were free men who were risking their lives for a free country. The poor conditions they were enduring apparently weren’t even on their minds. And as we know that ragtag group of freedom fighters prevailed against the far better equipped Brittish army and helped create the United States of America.

As we digest the results of the latest round of elections and celebrate Veterans Day this week, once again we celebrate the great country we live in. Let us not get side-tracked by inconveniences as we all strive to create a more perfect union.