As the country continues to celebrate its semiquincentennial, Dr. Harvey Passman sponsored a talk that brought local history to life for the senior social center at New Life Church.

In his talk on the Revolutionary War, Michael Jesberger’s reverence for George Washington and his troops was clearly on display.

“We’ll do this without photos or voice recordings, because these didn’t exist back then,” he said. “We’re relying on images, sketches, paintings and maps.”

Jesberger was addressing a large group of seniors who meet regularly every Tuesday for lunch and a planned program arranged by Passman.

Jesberger described the troops in vivid terms.

“The great majority were blacksmiths, farmers, wheelwrights, average people,” he said. “Some had no trade at all with no way to make a living or support a family.”

“The American army was an army of everybody,” he continued. “It was all inclusive, red, black, white, brown. These were the first veterans of our first army, the army of 1776.”

Jesberger credited George Washington for leading the rag tag troops. Despite the enormity of the task, “the six foot three, 200 pound general always showed a lot of humility,” Jesberger said.

“He gives back power voluntarily two times,” he said. “Washington resigns his commission at the end of the war. He never calls in sick and remains incredibly calm and [focused].”

Jesberger urged the audience to visit the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. “You won’t have a problem finding George Washington. You could feel his presence. He was a leader of men.”

“It was a young man’s war,” Jesberger said. “Washington and Adams were both in their 40s while Jefferson was just 33.”

Geography played a big role in the events of the past. Jesberger underscored the role that eastern Pennsylvania had in the war.

“If you visit Longwood Gardens, you’re standing at the Battle of Brandywine,” he said. “The British and Hessians captured Fort Lee and Fort Washington, two nearby locations. Let us always remember, reflect and tell these stories.”

That sentiment was not lost on his audience.

“I’m a history buff, so I really enjoyed the talk,” LaVerne Passman said. “It’s important to keep our history alive.”

This was not Jesberger’s first visit to this area. At an elementary school, Jesberger said, “They had me present, dressed as a soldier. They even let me bring equipment.”

Jesberger was inspired by Ken Burns’ film, “Civil War.” He even appeared for a few seconds in one of the episodes. “After that, I joined the Civil War reenactment unit,” he said.

After his presentation, Jesberger took several questions from the audience.

“It’s the rank and file that we must remember,” he said. “A lot of revolutions fail, but not ours.”