James Jay Crafano
At the end of the American Revolution, the Continental Army encamped at Newburgh, New York waiting for the last British troops to withdraw. The restive troops upset that the Continental Congress had not delivered on the bonuses promised threatened to march on Philadelphia. Assembling the officers, their long-serving commander quelled the mutiny by reading them a letter. Withdrawing the folded paper from his pocket, he paused to don a pair of spectacles, and then looked up to address the men. “Pardon me,” he apologized, “I have grown old in the service of my country and now find that I am growing blind.” With this, and other displays of selfless service, General George Washington established the tradition of American soldiering. His long and faithful service set an example for others. So who honored that tradition most? Who served the nation longer than anyone?
At the end of the American Revolution, the Continental Army encamped at Newburgh, New York waiting for the last British troops to withdraw. The restive troops upset that the Continental Congress had not delivered on the bonuses promised threatened to march on Philadelphia. Assembling the officers, their long-serving commander quelled the mutiny by reading them a letter. Withdrawing the folded paper from his pocket, he paused to don a pair of spectacles, and then looked up to address the men. “Pardon me,” he apologized, “I have grown old in the service of my country and now find that I am growing blind.” With this, and other displays of selfless service, General George Washington established the tradition of American soldiering. His long and faithful service set an example for others. So who honored that tradition most? Who served the nation longer than anyone?