Article by Chuck Norris in WND

 

Chuck Norris: My first fight vs. America's last fight (in 1781)

Oct. 19 is a pretty special day for America. It marks the day of the last major battle of the Revolutionary War in the original 13 colonies, when British Gen. Lord Charles Cornwallis and his army surrendered to Gen. George Washington's forces and its French allies at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781.

No doubt, Cornwallis was a formidable opponent. He was Washington's and America's central bully, if you will, throughout the Revolutionary War. And prior to Yorktown, he largely appeared to have an upper hand. In 1776, when our founders signed the Declaration of Independence, Cornwallis forced Washington's forces out of New Jersey. In 1780, he won an epic battle over Gen. Horatio Gates' army in South Carolina. And in 1781, he was laying waste to many towns and plantations in Virginia, when the Redcoats reached Yorktown on the coast in the fall.

The truth is, Washington's Continental Army was badly hurting and weakened from Cornwallis' recent wins. Still, with no pay, crippling health and morale in the dumps, Americans did what they've always done: they tapped their reserves, pulled up what bootstraps they had and fought their way out of the trenches to victory.

History.com explained the defeat:

During the first two weeks of October, the 14,000 Franco-American troops gradually overcame the fortified British positions with the aid of de Grasse's warships. A large British fleet carrying 7,000 men set out to rescue Cornwallis, but it was too late.

On October 19, General Cornwallis surrendered 7,087 officers and men, 900 seamen, 144 cannons, 15 galleys, a frigate, and 30 transport ships. Pleading illness, he did not attend the surrender ceremony, but his second-in-command, General Charles O'Hara, carried Cornwallis' sword to the American and French commanders. As the British and Hessian troops marched out to surrender, the British bands played the song "The World Turned Upside Down."

History.com was also absolutely right when it concluded: "It was more than just a military win. The outcome in Yorktown, Virginia, marked the conclusion of the last major battle of the American Revolution and the start of a new nation's independence. It also cemented Washington's reputation as a great leader and eventual election as first president of the United States."

As a result, according to Mount Vernon's Washington Library, "Washington's fame grew to international proportions having wrested such an improbable victory, interrupting his much desired Mount Vernon retirement with greater calls to public service."

We all face these epic battles and pivotal points in our lives and history, don't we? America is in one right now, and so are millions of Americans. How we fight and endure will literally plot our future for decades to come. Maybe you are facing a personal battle right now that is calling up every reserve you have. Hang on and keep fighting! Your Yorktown victory is coming!

As a six-time professional world karate champion, I can think of many pivotal victories. But the truth is, I didn't see that success before losing many battles first, just like Washington.

Interestingly, one of the most pivotal battles and victories for me in life came not in my professional career but my childhood. It showed me early on that bullies of all types can be beat, and often by smaller moves than we and they expect.

When I was about 7 years old, my family moved to Miami, Arizona, a still-small classic Western copper boom-town (population today roughly 1,800) near the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation about 80 miles east of Phoenix in the middle of the desert. We moved there to a drier climate from Napa, California, because my younger brother, Wieland, who would later give his life in Vietnam, had bad asthma. It was there my parents enrolled me in the second grade.

We were poor so moved into a small cottage next to a gas station. Next door to us lived a boy my same age but a lot larger and a real bully. His name was Bobby. For some reason, he had it in for me and chased me home from school every day.

One day he broke a desk during recess, and the teacher accused me of being the culprit. In those days, teachers spanked students. She announced that she was going to swat me. I knew that Bobby had done it, but I wasn't about to tell because of the wrath I might experience from him.

So, I stood up and followed the teacher into the hallway to get my swats, as we called them back then. When one of the other students spoke up and said that I hadn't done it, I was off the hook. But Bobby still chased me home.

Jack, the nice man who owned the gas station and the cottage we rented, couldn't stand to see me bullied. My dad was unfortunately often gone (drinking), so Jack told my mom he was going to make me fight Bobby. He insisted that she stay in the apartment and not interfere.

That day I almost got swatted for the broken desk, I was running home. Jack saw and stopped me, and he made me wait for Bobby. "You're going to stand up for yourself and fight this kid right now," Jack said. I replied, "He's too big." But Jack made me stand my ground. He knew this could be a pivotal moment in my life, and he was right. He knew if I didn't stand up for myself, I could face many other "Bobbys" in my life.

The fight was on as soon as Bobby arrived. I wrestled him to the ground, but truth be told I was getting the worst of it, until I grabbed him by the finger and bent it back. Bobby began to cry. "Give up?" I asked him. "I give," he replied. But when I let go of his finger, he immediately jumped me again. So, I grabbed his finger again and began bending it back. Once more, he started to cry. This time he really gave up, and never bothered me again. Believe it or not, we even became friends.

We always instruct our martial arts students in our KickStartKids program across Texas, where we teach character through karate, fighting is a last resort. However, if you have to defend yourself or someone else, now you know how and have the tools to do it.

Regarding the children, adult or even country "Bobbys" in this life and world, I am brought back to two wise quotes from Abraham Lincoln: "I would rather be a little nobody, then to be a evil somebody." And "I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends."

 

 https://www.wnd.com/2020/10/first-fight-vs-americas-last-fight/

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