On December 23, 1776 in the first of his Crisis Papers, Tom Paine wrote:
“THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER" and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.”
The winter of 1776 was bleak; the going tough and no clear path to victory was seen. With their enlistments completed, many of the men who had joined in the summer were leaving the cause of freedom, peace and justice and returning home. They were the ‘summer soldiers’ and the ‘sunshine patriots.’ However the true patriots and visionaries, resolved in their determination, empowered by the light of truth; carried on in the pursuit of life, liberty and justice.
With the evolution of the Republic, “a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them” and foreseeing the possibility of its subsequent loss, the term Winter Soldier was born.
The Winter Soldier is any man or woman who stands firm in the face of great adversity in its many shapes and forms and works towards a peaceful and civil society; respecting the inalienable rights provided for in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights.
Each year the The Veterans For Peace, Chapter 10, recognize local activists with the Tom Paine Winter Soldier Peace and Justice Awards Dinner for their exemplary, nonviolent and tireless efforts on behalf of Peace. The recipients of the Tom Paine Winter Soldier Peace and Justice Award have worked tirelessly and nonviolently to end war and to develop a peaceful and civil society.
Click on the links below to see current and past year award honorees and details about the awards dinner.