Rick Panto: Our founding fathers risked everything for our freedom
Have you ever wondered what happened to the brave men who signed the Declaration of Independence? They were our first veterans!
Of the 56 men who signed the document, 24 were lawyers, 11 merchants, and 9 owned plantation. They pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor knowing the penalty would be death if captured by the British.
Five signers were captured and charged as traitors and tortured before being executed. Nine fought and died in the Revolutionary War. Two lost their sons and another had two sons captured. Eight saw their properties looted and destroyed. One saw his wife jailed; she died in prison. One fled his wife’s bedside while she was dying and his children fled for their lives.
These men were not troublemakers or outlaws, they were men of means. They had money and security, but they valued freedom more! They may have lost everything but their sacrifice means that we are free, just like every veteran that has fought for our country over the years!
What are you willing to sacrifice for our freedom?
Rick Panto, Modesto
This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 1:07 PM with the headline "Rick Panto: Our founding fathers risked everything for our freedom."