THE stories you only thought you knew.
About an INDISPENSABLE general and president.
Who will forever remain the MAN against
whom all others are judged.
July 9, 1755, 7:45 P.M.
Banks of the Monongahela River
Had I not been witness, the colonel thought, I would not have believed it.
As he stared into the fire, the colonel took off his coat. Shaking it out, he found two holes, the shells having passed right through the fabric. He stared at them in disbelief, pushing a finger through each hole as if to convince himself that they were real. He slowly shook his head in disbelief.
A small group of officers was watching. One of them, a scrawny Virginian with jet-black hair, leaned forward on his knees, his face a pale yellow in the firelight. Theres another one in your hat, sir.
The colonel took his hat off and examined it. Yes, there was another hole.
Two shells through his clothes. Another through his hat. Two horses shot out from underneath him. He shook his head again.
His fellow Virginian watched him carefully. Who are you? the man wondered aloud, a deep hesitation in his voice.
The colonel turned to look at him, pushing the tattered officer coat aside. It almost seemed he tried to hide it, and he didnt answer the other man.
Who are you? the officer repeated.
The colonel looked his fellow Virginian in the eyes before responding. I am George Washington.
Few men have the virtue to
withstand the highest bidder.
GEORGE WASHINGTON
For America to achieve the greatness
that George Washington achieved, we first
have to remember that it is achievable.
I am George Washington. You are George
Washington. We are all George Washington.
GLENN BECK
IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW
GEORGE WASHINGTON, THINK AGAIN.
This is the amazing true story of a real-life superhero who wore no cape and possessed no special powersyet changed the world forever.
Its a story about a man whose life reads as if it were torn from the pages of an action novel: Bullet holes through his clothing. Horses shot out from under him. Unimaginable hardship. Disease. Heroism. Spies and double-agents. And, of course, the unmistakable hand of Divine Providence that guided it all.
Being George Washington is a whole new way to look at history. You wont simply read about the awful winter spent at Valley Forgeyoull live it right alongside Washington. Youll be on the boat with him crossing the Delaware, in the trenches with him at Yorktown, and standing next to him at the Constitutional Convention as a new republic is finally born.
Through these stories youll not only learn our real history (and how it applies to today), youll also see how the media and others have distorted our view of it. Its ironic that the best-known fact about George Washingtonthat he chopped down a cherry treeis a complete lie. Its even more ironic when you consider that a lie was thought necessary to prove he could not tell one.
For all of his heroism and triumphs, Washingtons single greatest accomplishment was the man he created in the process: courageous and principled, fair and just, respectful to all. But he was also something else: flawed.
Its those flaws that should give us hope for today. After all, if Washington had been perfect, then there would be no way to build another one. Thats why this book is not just about being George Washington in 1776, its about the struggle to be him every single day of our lives. Understanding the way he turned himself from an uneducated farmer into the Indispensable (yet imperfect) Man, is the only way to build a new generation of George Washingtons that can take on the extraordinary challenges that America is once again facing.
GLENN BECK is a nationally syndicated radio host, founder of GBTV, and the author of nine national bestselling books, seven of which reached the #1 position on the New York Times list: The Original Argument; Arguing with Idiots; Glenn Becks Common Sense; An Inconvenient Book; the novels The Overton Window and The Christmas Sweater; and the childrens book The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book. His new holiday novel, The Snow Angel, is now available in hardcover from Threshold Editions.
Visit www.glennbeck.com.
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Dedication
T o my son, Raphe, whom I fear we are leaving with an overwhelming amount of work to do to make things right. I hope you always remember that one man can make a difference. That you can make a difference.
George Washington struggled to become a better man every single day of his life. But, through those struggles, he ultimately gave mankind its first real taste of freedom since the Garden of Eden. Now its up to you and your generation to ensure that we dont lose it. But you have one great advantage over me: you can start now. It wasnt until after you were born that I found the man who I really want to be and finally got down to work.
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