Residents honor Revolutionary War soldiers at East Vincent Cemetery – The Mercury

EAST VINCENT — Patriotism was on full display on Independence Day as residents gathered at the Revolutionary War Cemetery to honor some of the men who helped win the nation’s freedom.

The small cemetery at Route 23 and Hill Church Road contains the graves of 22 unknown soldiers who died in the adjacent German Reformed Church in 1778.

Residents of the region come together every year to honor the soldiers who fought for America’s independence from Great Britain.

“We are gathered here to celebrate our strength as a nation that rejected the tyranny of a king so that we could determine our own destiny,” said state Rep. Paul Friel in remarks at the event. “And like those we remember today, they began this experiment in democracy that we fought to preserve and that was defended by a long line of patriots who fought in places like Lexington and Concord, Gettysburg and Midway, and more recently in Fallujah and Helmand — and of course a few miles from where we stand today, at the Battle of Brandywine, where those who lie here probably fought.”

The keynote speaker for the Fourth of July event was Nancy K. Loane, author of “Following the Drum: Women at the Valley Forge Encampment.” Loane is a former seasonal ranger at Valley Forge National Park, a founding member of the American Revolution Round Table of Philadelphia, and an honorary life member of the Society of the Descendants of Washington’s Army at Valley Forge.

The Philadelphia Continental Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution is the largest chapter in Pennsylvania and one of the five largest chapters in the United States. During its 117-year history, chapter members have participated in a variety of patriotic, educational, and historical events.