HELPING GEORGE

Did I ever tell you about me helping George Washington and his troops cross the Delaware? It was a cold December 25th winter day. I was in uniform, standing in formation waiting for orders to move down to the river. I wasn’t there to actually row one of the boats—just to see them off and wish them a good crossing, military style. Obviously the event was a re-enactment of that famous and cleverly planned maneuver that took place on Christmas Day 1776. In fact it was a major turning point in the war.

In my case it was 1966, 190 years later. I was in the army, having been drafted during the Vietnam War. I didn’t go over but was stationed at Fort Dix. One of my army buddies was from Texas and wanted to go home for Christmas to be with his fiancé for the holidays, but he was assigned the duty that I just mentioned. When he told me about it, I told him that I would be glad to take his place if the officer in charge would approve of it—which he did. But I felt like I had given my friend a Christmas present. He was delighted and had a great time visiting and celebrating the holidays back home. 

So on Christmas Day, there I was standing by the Delaware at the very spot where Washington and his troops made their way across the icy river to head to Trenton and surprise the Hessians the next day at their winter headquarters. Then afterward I had Christmas dinner at the mess hall. I don’t remember what we had, but I’m sure it was far better than Washington and his men had to eat that day.

They still do the re-enactment every year on Christmas Day, and just recently the boats appeared along the shoreline to be available for a rehearsal (which I am guessing wasn’t the case for the first crossing). Maybe George said something like, “We’ve got one crack at this, gentlemen, so let’s get to it and do it right the first time.”  But probably not. Maybe someone in the ranks said, “I have a headache and got chills, so I’d like to stay right here by the fire, but I’ll be thinking of you.” But probably not. 

The point is that they did it just the way their commander ordered them to. I’m sure they weren’t excited about it nor did they necessarily  feel patriotic. They were no doubt cold, hungry, and tired. But if they hadn’t, you can’t help but wonder if we would be citizens of the United States of America.