Piotrowski: Victory of Death

(Lori Piotrowski) – You may have heard that Newt Gingrich was in town last Thursday evening to help Get Out the Vote. The former Speaker of the House is on a Jobs Here, Jobs Now tour and he stopped at the J. W. Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa to encourage Sharron Angle and the attendees to stay strong during these final days of campaigning. He urged everyone to keep calling and talking about the issues and work hard to get out the vote.

Gingrich closed with a story about General George Washington that took place on Christmas Eve-Christmas morning in 1776. For months, the general and his troops had been fighting the British and suffering great losses in terms of land and lives. On that cold and stormy night, he rallied his staff and his troops. They would cross the Delaware River and head into Trenton to surprise the Hessians who held that small city. It was a do-or-die mission, and the password that night still holds its chill:

Victory or Death.

The general knew that with so few troops remaining and with such low morale that the patriots would soon fall. It was with great empathy for his men that Washington compelled them to participate in this last attack. If they could surprise the enemy, they could continue the fight for freedom. If they lost, then the end would be sooner.

For several years, my parents lived just a few miles from this spot in Pennsylvania-Washington’s Crossing. Every December 25th, patriots gather, some in uniform, some in their holiday finest, to brave the cold winter weather and relive this heroic effort of a few embattled soldiers who knew that crossing this icy river could be the last thing they did.

Victory or Death.

We find ourselves in a similar situation. We’re not fighting for our lives, yet. But we are fighting for the freedoms those early patriots died to give us. We must find the reserves deep in our souls to continue to fight for our beliefs, our state, our nation.

In 1776, Washington’s troops surprised those German troops, quickly capturing them as they awoke late that morning. Not only did this battle end quickly, but it raised morale and brought in fresh recruits and monies to back them.

Victory or Death.

Let’s kick our election into high gear!

(Lori Piotrowski is Communications Director for the Clark County Republican Party)