It was a bitter cold Christmas night somewhere in the middle of the Delaware River, 1776. A stinging snow was pouring from the heavens above and the wind felt almost as bad as the sting of a Redcoat's bullet or the shrapnel of a British artillery round. Before the boats reached the shore, the eyelids of two brave men would be shut as a result of the conditions around their bodies.

To make a seemingly impossible operation even worse, ice floes on the Delaware forced the boats to slow down and carefully steer through the throng, delaying the operation for hours. Unbeknownst to the man leading the charge, the frozen conditions forced two-thirds of his armies to retreat back to the other side of the Delaware. The withdrawl severely compromised his plan of leading a coordinated attack on the occupied towns of Princeton and Trenton, New Jersey in a last-ditch offensive to drive back his opponents who, at the time, seemed to drive through the heart of his homeland without end. The outlook was bleak and any seemingly sane person would have ordered the ships to turn back to the shore and plan for another day.

After all, he was a man criticized not only by those who opposed the operation for which he was in command of but also those he represented on the battlefield. His reputation was tainted, his armies tired and decreasing in numbers and his homeland possibly on the brink of destruction and desolation. But the glimmer in his eyes did not fade, did not vanish despite the nearly impossible odds ahead of him.

The British had bested him months before in the fall as the offensive was driven back numerous times. New York had fallen in a humiliating defeat as had much of New Jersey and it would not be long before Philadelphia would be the next to see the hells of war. The Continental Congress had already fled the Pennsylvania town and many had already deserted the armies under the command of the one now leading them through a frozen river.

But the setbacks did not force George Washington to surrender to his enemies, nature or his detractors. He was a man of stature and substance, a man unwilling to yield to those who opposed freedom despite the odds. History is full of men like Washington, men born with a heart that oozed of almost insane bravery and a desire for a better tomorrow. History books never fail to remind us of heroes like those who stood inside the walls of the Alamo despite the overwhelming size of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's Mexican army or the 100,000 plus men who stormed the blood-stained shores of Normandy against the blizzard of German machine gun fire or the bombers that turned the tide in World War II.

One constant remains in light of these historic drives for freedom. No matter how desperate the odds, some were unwilling to take up arms for freedom even if it meant that they would live under dictatorship, tyranny or some other lesser form of government. When Colonel William B. Travis drew a line in the Texas dirt below him, begging every able body to step across and take up the cause of freedom by defending the Alamo against the massive Mexican army, all able bodies crossed the line except one. At one point, more than 80 percent of Americans opposed entering World War II, which is a major reason why George T. Eggleston's Scribner's Commentator magazine became an instant success with war detractors. Despite the opposition, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was determined to further the America First movement and defend his country's allies overseas from the imperialist armies of Hitler and Mussolini.

Of those mentioned above, General Washington was perhaps in the worst situation of them all. The weather had crippled the size of the army that he was planning to use in attacking Princeton and Trenton, lands held by a tough assortment of Germans who had bested Washington before in battle and had made his guns wet and icy, forcing the Americans to resort to close-in combat with bayonettes and what little artillery that had been able to cross the river. Certainly not the best of conditions to stake one's reputation on, but the Virginia-born leader refused to yield, refused to give up the cause of freedom.

Today, our world is bearing witness to yet another war for freedom. The War in Iraq is like every war that predates it. There are detractors - those who would rather give in to the setbacks and statistics than to push forth the better cause. Many of them would probably have demanded that Washington turn the ship around and head back for the shore had they been in the boats that cold but pivotal winter. Instead of seeing history, independence and glory ahead of them that frigid Christmas night, they instead would have seen a harsh blizzard, dangerous ice floes and a vicious Hessian army ahead of them.

However, it is their right to want to turn back. After all, this country is a free one, an independent one, a country that believes in allowing a person to think and speak for whatever he or she wants within the confines of order and civility. But many of these detractors cannot see beyond the blindfold that they have wrapped over their eyes. They have closed their eyes and ears to atrocities overseas like many did in Washington's time, Travis' time and Roosevelt's time because they did not want to make the sacrifices necessary to keep the flame of freedom burning.

Instead of seeing the mass graves of those who stood up for what they believed in - those dug by the blood-stained hands of Saddam Hussein, these detractors still rant about the weapons of mass destruction that we failed to find and rave about the death count of American troops instead of seeing the larger picture. Instead of seeing freedom at the fingertips of people who had lived under tyranny more vile than what our country faced under the British, they see red dollar signs and rising gas prices. Instead of seeingthe hopes of freedom and democracy of an entire nation that lived so long under an intensely cruel dictator, these people sit back in their rocking chairs, screaming at their televisions and demanding to know when our brave troops will return home.

It is a sad situation, indeed. These people, like those who came before them, only see what is important to them at the moment instead of seeing the greater picture. They cannot get past the idea of surrendering their lives to allow another to enjoy the freedoms they have taken for granted their entire life. They stand with indifference when the National Anthem is sung at sporting events or, worse yet, set fire to the flag that symbolizes the blood of those who died so that they can be alive and do as they please. They do not understand the price of freedom. Perhaps they are incapable of doing so. Perhaps they cannot comprehend the grit needed tofight for a good cause, a good fight. If so, they are to be pitied.

The great leaders of history have never given in to these people, just as they have never given into their enemies, the odds against them or whatever obstacles came their way. They perservered, even when public opinion and the tide of the moment was against them. The fire of freedom has continued to burn brightly because it lived inside of them. It could be seen in the eyes of George Washington as he looked to the eastern shore of the Delaware River and history. It could be seen in the eyes of Colonel William B. Travis as he dug a line in the ground and asked for volunteers to take up arms for freedom. It could be seen in the eyes of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill who defied the demands of those who did not want to engage the Axis powers in World War II. You can see it in the eyes of President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair as they take up the torch in today's world for a cause that has burned bright and proud for centuries and will continue to survive as long as there are those who understand the price of freedom.