“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Those words are at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence. While these are some of the most significant and important parts of this document and in the history of this nation, there’s one part that doesn’t get quoted as often nor with the same emphasis. It comes at the end of the Declaration and reads as follows:

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor”.

233 years ago, 56 men representing the 13 colonies stood in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia (now Independence Hall) and put these words on paper. With a pledge of their lives, their fortunes and their honor, these men pledged everything they had. The closing of the Declaration of Independence shows that our Founding Fathers knew that freedom would not be won with words alone. We were going to have to fight for it and some would make the ultimate sacrifice.

It is important that we remember all of these words and the sacrifices of those 56 men and the millions of men and women who have proudly sacrificed in service to this nation.