[Saturday marked one of the most important anniversaries in our nation’s history. Following is what I had to say about it three years ago at World Defense Review, and it is just as relevant today.]

April is a month chocked-full of American military anniversaries: The Continental Navy captured its first enemy warship in April 1776. Marines captured Tripoli, 1805. The Civil War began, 1861. Lee surrendered to Grant, 1865. The Spanish-American war began, 1898. The U.S. declared war on Germany, 1917. Doolittle raided Japan, 1942. American troops landed on Okinawa, 1945. The Bay of Pigs invasion was launched, 1961. The last American Marine left Saigon, 1975. The Air Force raided Libya, 1986. And Baghdad fell to U.S. forces, 2003. All are but a few of this month's anniversaries.

But no military anniversary in April – or any other month for that matter – is more significant than that which we celebrate on the 19th. For it was on that day in 1775 that a rag-tag band of American farmers and shopkeepers stood up to one of the world's most formidable armies, and fired the shots that began a new nation and – for all intent and purposes – became the birth-cry of the American armed forces.

It began in the wee hours of that morning when a task force of some 800-900 British regulars crossed the Charles River from Boston, Massachusetts to the Cambridge shoreline (thus the famous "two" lantern signal in the Old North Church as opposed to the "one" lantern which would have signaled a British approach on land across "Boston neck"). The force was comprised of several light infantry companies – including a smattering of Royal Marines – and several companies of grenadiers. Lt. Col. Francis Smith of the 10th Lincolnshires commanded the force. Commanding Smith's lead elements was Maj. John Pitcairn of the Marines. General Sir Thomas Gage, commander-in-chief of the King's men in North America, had previously ordered Smith to lead an expedition to Concord, and seize and destroy the military stores hidden in the town.

First stop along the way was Lexington. There, just before dawn, two Massachusetts militia companies – the Minute and the Alarm – under Captain John Parker had been rallied to arms by a hard-riding Paul Revere who warned them of the enemy's approach. The militiamen began forming for battle on Lexington Green.

Around 6:00 am, contact was made. With drums beating and commands from junior officers echoing across the green, Pitcairn spurred his horse forward between the two opposing forces.

If the birth-cry of the American soldier was the first shot fired at Lexington, then it's fair to say the last words uttered to an untested, independent American military force were that of a Royal Marine officer.