President George Washington ~ “Our Highest Glory Is To Laud The More Distinguished Character Of Christian”

“While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest Glory to laud the more distinguished Character of Christian.

The signal instances of Providential goodness which we have experienced and which have now almost crowned our labors with complete success demand from us a peculiar manner the warmest returns of gratitude and piety to the Supreme Author of all good.”
— George Washington
(General of the Continental Army at this time)
[Orders issued on May 2, 1778 by George Washington to his troops at Valley Forge]

I believe my young friends, the twin brothers Brett and Alex Harris, are two model youth leaders. I consider them to be cultural heroes or generational warriors, who are willing to bear the baton of early American values and beliefs, and march forward with a battle cry to raise the expectations and contributions of following generations. They are on the frontlines of battle for our posterity. They possess the heart and gusto to reawaken their generation to our founders’ American dream.

At just 16, they were interns at the Alabama Supreme Court house. And at 19 they wrote their first book, which has now sold more than 250,000 copies since it was first published in mid-2008 – one I encourage everyone to read and give to a teenager or Millennial they know. The book is called “Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion against Low Expectations.”

The Harris brothers summarize their mission in their book with these words (p. 25), “Our uprising won’t be marked by mass riots and violence, but by millions of individual teens quietly choosing to turn the low expectations of our culture upside down.”

President Obama declared during his election campaign that it was time for America to “turn the page” on lingering cultural battles. He knows the key to doing so comes only by winning the hearts and minds of the younger generation. I believe that is ultimately why the president tried to stick his head in every public classroom across the nation earlier this month.

Of course, two can play at that game.

For almost 20 years I’ve been working to make a difference with at-risk youth in Texas via my KICKSTART program, who, eventually, move across this nation to pass the baton to others about self-worth, respect and civility. I’d be honored to have you join us in building up the next generation of young Americans with a financial contribution of any size.

I’m releasing two other secret weapons. First, in January 2010, I’m making available a paperback version of my New York Times best-seller, “Black Belt Patriotism,” revised and updated for America’s economic recession and Washington’s new administration. But it’s far more than a political book – it’s a cultural manifesto to reawaken America to our founders’ vision, faith and lifestyle.

Also, for young and old, I’ve finally fulfilled a repeated request from many publishers to produce my new book, “The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book” (released in a month on Nov. 1), in which I have chosen my favorite 101 Chuck Norris facts and share 101 humorous and inspirational related stories – many of which reintroduce Americans and particularly our youth to our founders’ America. Each of the 101 stories centers on one of the five “Fs” from “Chuck’s Code”: freedom, faith, family, fitness or fight. In a world that needs a little lightening up and direction, I’m sure you and every young person you know will appreciate the read. You can pre-order both books by pressing the links above.

On Sept. 28, 1781, Gen. George Washington led a combined force of 17,000 French and Continental troops upon Yorktown (Virginia) and encircled British Gen. Lord Cornwallis and his regiment of 9,000 British troops. Washington bombarded Cornwallis and crew day and night for three weeks with artillery and cannon fire, until Cornwallis surrendered on Oct. 17, 1781. Negotiations for peace began in 1782, with the Treaty of Paris being eventually signed on Sept. 3, 1783, formally ending the eight years of war and securing America’s independence.

The key to victory at Yorktown came when, at the mouth of the Chesapeake, the French navy helped to corner Cornwallis and his crew from fleeing by sea, while Marquis de Lafayette, who under Washington led 5,000 American soldiers, blocked Cornwallis’ escape by land. Lafayette was only 23 years old at the time.

Lafayette was only 16 years old when he joined the Black Musketeers back in France, an elite unit of royal troops that rode black horses. He started fighting in the Revolution in 1777 at only 19, at which time Congress gave him the rank of major general. Two months after the British surrender at Yorktown, Lafayette returned home as a “hero of two worlds.”

Marquis de Lafayette was one of Gen. George Washington’s secret weapons in the American Revolution. Youth are often the key to victory in many revolutions. That’s because people often underestimate their potential or perceived contributions. I believe young people will play a critical role in reawakening and returning America again to its founders’ vision, ways and principles.

It’s amazing for us today to think about how much a young Lafayette sacrificed and accomplished for our country as well as his own. We are still inspired by his example of youthful courage and heroism.

Many adults would say that type of valor rarely exists anymore. But as I meet and hear from young Americans here and around the world, I beg to differ. Though our society often denigrates the teen years and expects very little from our young people, I believe there exists a latent power in this particular generation that waits to be awakened and reveal its full potential.

If we’re going to win America’s culture wars, we need the younger generations to do it. There is no way around it. We need to reengage with our young people and plug them into America’s glorious past so they can build a brighter future. I’m not talking about selling them on a partisan platform but a patriot one (like our founders had). I’m convinced that this is why Ron Paul’s candidacy for president grew into a mighty grassroots swell – it tapped into the technologically and socially based Millennials, who possess a strong anti-imperialism and lets-take-care-of-home mentality and passion.