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This one is going to be a passion project. It is going to take a while to complete.
I served. My family served.
There is more history there than it might sound like on face value. My great grandfather literally came over from Spain and served in the Navy during World War One, World War Two, Korean and Vietnam. He came from an era where people worked a job until they died. It would be a common thing until just before WW2, when FDR was encouraging people not to do so with the Social Security Trust Fund to free up jobs for younger workers.
One has to keep in mind that Ulysses S. Grant had been the Commanding General of the U.S. Army and later the 18th President of the United States. He received no retirement from either office, before Congress restored his Army title in 1885 after learning of the national hero's health and financial woes, but Grant died of cancer only 4 months later.
Before that, Grant had to scrap by, while suffering with throat cancer, writing his memoirs to provide for his family after death. It would be his friend, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, who was famously pen named Mark Twain, that would publish said book with an unheard of 70% royalty offer. Julia Grant would receive $450,000 in royalties or about $16 million today.
Needless to say, my great grandfather wasn't one to trust leaving his job. He kept at it until the rules were changed to remove older people that refused to leave like himself. He still hung on in the Navy reserves. A Navigator by trade, my great grandfather was qualified to Navigate any body of water, anywhere in the world.
All that service was after surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor, by refusing to eat powdered eggs on the battleship Arizona. It was a galley breakfast on shore that morning that saved his life. His brother that was still on the ship has his remains sealed in that steel grave to this very day.
My Grandfather on my mother's side was a Marine in WW2. He and my Grandmother divorced so I don't know his full fate or stories.
My Grandfather on my father's side was a Navy pilot in WW2. He was once unlucky enough to be tasked with flying a unexploded, but armed fully kamikaze bomb back to the states through the pacific theater, in a storm, so scientists could see how it was made. He did it on a wing and a prayer with that ship killing bomb in the back shaking as if it would go off any second.
My father served in the USAF during the Vietnam Conflict. As a field communications equipment experts, he was a favorite target of the Viet Cong, thus his life expectancy was measured in seconds should he have ever gone to the field.
My stepfather was Navy in Vietnam. He was an Aircraft Technician on a Navy Aircraft Carrier for 7 years of it.
My cousin was Army in the Gulf War and after, first as a Security specialist, later as a Warrant Officer for an Attack Helicopter. I was Navy Aircraft Ordnance in the same era and later did six years as USAFR as electronic warfare specialist and munitions. My son is currently in the USAF, he was line maintenance and currently works computer security.
My mother's side of the family has military ancestors that stretch back further than that. It is the same on my father's side.
Thus, I just wanted to share a little history. It is simply told by song and a few facts from the era that this music was popular. That is for more of this country's history than you might think.
I'll be using my Youtube playlist as the base:
This may never get more than 10 views, but for those few that wish too look, here comes an adventure. This was one facet of the American Experience no longer taught in schools...
Battle Hymn of the Republic - American Patriotic Song (1856)
https://songofamerica.net/song/battle-hymn-of-the-republic/
The Battle Hymn of the Republic
by Julia Ward HoweMine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.Chorus:
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
His day is marching on.Chorus
I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
“As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on.”Chorus
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.Chorus
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.Chorus
He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,
Our God is marching on.Chorus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Hymn_of_the_Republic
The American Revolutionary War (1775-1781)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War
“Join, or Die” – Benjamin Franklin, 1754
“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” – Patrick Henry, 1775
“Don’t tread on me” – from the Gadsten Flag, 1775
“Stand your ground; don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.” – Captain John Parker, 1775
“Every post is honourable in which a man can serve his country.” -George Washington, Letter to Benedict Arnold, September 14, 1775
“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.” – Thomas Paine, 1776
“The British are coming.” - PAUL REVERE, the night of April 18, 1775
“Don’t fire till you see the whites of their eyes.” - WILLIAM PRESCOTT, The Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, 1776
“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” – Nathan Hale, 1776
“We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”– Benjamin Franklin, 1776
“Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the whole world that a Freeman, contending for liberty on his own ground, is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.” -George Washington, General Orders from his Headquarters, New York, July 2, 1776
“I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than the means.” -John Adams, Letter to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776
“The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore to resolve to conquer or die.” -George Washington, Address to the Continental Army before the battle of Long Island, August 27, 1776
“I have not yet begun to fight!” – John Paul Jones, 1779
On December 23, 1783, Washington strode into the Maryland State House in Annapolis and surrendered his military commission to Congress—thereby affirming the principle of civilian control of the military. When King George III heard that Washington would surrender his commission, he reportedly said that if "He did [this] He would be the greatest man in the world." As president, in a time when there were no term limits and many would have supported a lifetime role, Washington stepped down after the end of his second term—setting an important precedent that lasted until the middle of the 20th century.
“As to the history of the revolution, my ideas may be peculiar perhaps singular. What do we mean by the revolution? The war? That was no part of the revolution; it was only an effect and consequence of it. The revolution was in the minds of the people, and this was effected from 1760 to 1775, in the course of fifteen years, before a drop of blood was shed at Lexington.” -John Adams, Letter to Thomas Jefferson, August 24, 1815
The American Revolutionary War
Yankee Doodle (current version 1776)
On yeah of the internet, this is a fun one. Originally, a British Army trolling on Colonists, this became the earliest lyrical American Meme and became a source of pride all the way back to the Revolutionary War.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_Doodle
The song was a pre-Revolutionary War song originally sung by British military officers to mock the disheveled, disorganized colonial "Yankees" with whom they served in the French and Indian War. It was written at Fort Crailo around 1755 by British Army surgeon Richard Shuckburgh while campaigning in Rensselaer, New York.[15] The British troops sang it to make fun of their stereotype of the American soldier as a Yankee simpleton who thought that he was stylish if he simply stuck a feather in his cap.[1] It was also popular among the Americans as a song of defiance,[1] and they added verses to it that mocked the British and hailed George Washington as the Commander of the Continental army. By 1781, "Yankee Doodle" had turned from being an insult to being a song of national pride.[16][17]
LyricsYankee Doodle went to townA-riding on a ponyStuck a feather in his hatAnd called it macaroniYankee Doodle, keep it upYankee Doodle dandyMind the music and the stepAnd with the girls be handyFather and I went down to campAlong with Captain GoodingAnd there we saw the men and boysAs thick as hasty puddingYankee Doodle, keep it upYankee Doodle dandyMind the music and the stepAnd with the girls be handyThere was Captain WashingtonUpon a slapping stallionA-giving orders to his menI guess there was a million.Yankee Doodle, keep it upYankee Doodle dandyMind the music and the stepAnd with the girls be handy
The Barbary Wars (1801-1805, 1815)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_Wars
"The motives pleading for war rather than tribute are numerous and honorable; those opposing them mean and short-sighted" -President Thomas Jefferson
"Repel force by force" -President Thomas Jefferson
"Unauthorized by the Constitution, without the sanction of Congress, to go beyond the line of defense, the vessel, being disabled from committing further hostilities, was liberated with its crew. The Legislature will doubtless consider whether, by authorizing measures of offense also, they will place our force on an equal footing with that of its adversaries." -President Thomas Jefferson
"Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute" -President Thomas Jefferson
"Our duty to attack was founded on the Laws of the Prophet, that it is written in the Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, that it is our right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all we could take as Prisoners, and every Musselman who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise." -Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja (Tripoli's Envoy or Ambassador to Britain)
"My policy and my views are to increase, not to diminish the number of my American slaves; and not for a million dollars would I release them." -Haji Ali, the new Dey of Algiers
"If the United States will have a free commerce in this sea, they must defend it." -William Eaton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Derna_(1805)
"The American Commander, with a small force, and in a short space of time, has done more for the cause of Christianity than the most powerful nations of Christendom have done for ages!" -Pope Pius VII
“This is the story of how a new nation, saddled with war debt and desperate to establish credibility, was challenged by four Muslim powers. Our merchant ships were captured and the crews enslaved. Despite its youth, America would do what established western powers chose not to do: stand up to intimidation and lawlessness.” ― Brian Kilmeade, Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History (2015)
This is a couple of wars that most people are not aware of. Here's a funny history lesson for those interested:
The Fat Electrician's
America Dismantles Pirate Nations For Touching Their Boats - The Barbary Wars
Here is a local thread on him: https://haunt2003.com/index.php/community/humor/the-fat-electrician/
Though not entirely time period appropriate, due to its dedication to this moment in our nation's history, starting with its very first lines, I find it impossible not to put the Marine Corps Hymn here. I'll place it later again in its proper timeline...
Marine Corps Hymn (all verses) (1867, adopted 1929)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marines%27_Hymn
Marines’ Hymn Lyrics
From the Halls of Montezuma
To the Shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
of United States Marine.Our flag's unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in ev'ry clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far-off Northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job
The United States Marines.Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes;
They will find the streets are guardedBy United States Marines.
The War of 1812 (1812-1815)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812
"Whether the United States shall continue passive under these … accumulating wrongs, or, opposing force to force in defense of their national rights, shall commit a just cause into the hands of the Almighty Disposer of Events, … is a solemn question which the Constitution wisely confides to the legislative department of the Government. In recommending it to their early deliberations I am happy in the assurance that the decision will be worthy the enlightened and patriotic councils of a virtuous, a free, and a powerful nation." —President James Madison, War Message to Congress Washington, June 1, 1812
"Alas, I can descry only groups of military wandering in all directions, as if there was a lack of arms, or of spirit to fight for their own fireside! [...] I insist on waiting until the large picture of Gen. Washington is secured." -- First Lady Dolley Madison, writing to her sister as the British attacked Washington, D.C., 1814
"We have met the enemy and they are ours." - Oliver Hazard Perry, 1813
https://www.nps.gov/articles/met-the-enemy-4.htm
Perry’s counterblows forced Barclay to surrender his entire squadron— something that had never happened in British naval history. After the battle, Perry sent his famous dispatch to Major General William Henry Harrison: “We have met the enemy and they are ours. Two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop.”
"History will remember those who stood tall in the face of adversity, and I intend to be one of them." - Andrew Jackson
"In the darkest of times, it is the light within us that shines the brightest." - Andrew Jackson
"The power of the American dream lies in the hands of those who are willing to fight for it." -Andrew Jackson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_New_Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans - Johnny Horton (1959)
The War of 1812
The Star-Spangled Banner (1814)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star-Spangled_Banner_(flag)
NATIONAL ANTHEM OF THE UNITED STATES
“The Star Spangled Banner”
Francis Scott Key (1814)Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly
we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and
bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.O say, does that star‐spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave
mona rose's
Star Spangled Banner As You've Never Heard It
The Real Story Behind the Star-Spangled Banner, the Flag That Inspired the National Anthem
How the flag that flew proudly over Fort McHenry in September 1814 made its way to the Smithsonian
The Mexican–American War (1846-1848)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War
The quickest recap of the pre-civil war politics of the time dividing congress, the north opposed bringing Texas, a slave state, into the union (They were the Whig party at the time [1833-1856]). The south was for it (They were the Democrats). This would define the politics of the time and here are some of those voices from history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_K._Polk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whig_Party_(United_States)
"[Mexico] has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon American soil," - President James K. Polk
"There is more selfishness and less principle among members of Congress...than I had any conception of, before I became President of the U.S." - President James K. Polk
"Generally, the officers of the army were indifferent whether the annexation was consummated or not; but not so all of them. For myself, I was bitterly opposed to the measure, and to this day, regard the war, which resulted, as one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation. It was an instance of a republic following the bad example of European monarchies, in not considering justice in their desire to acquire additional territory." -Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of General U. S. Grant (1885), p. 16
"The Southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican war. Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions. We got our punishment in the most sanguinary and expensive war of modern times." -Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of General U. S. Grant (1885), Chapter 3
"Any people anywhere being inclined and having the power have the right to rise up and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable, a most sacred right — a right which we hope and believe is to liberate the world. Nor is this right confined to cases in which the whole people of an existing government may choose to exercise it. Any portion of such people that can may revolutionize and make their own of so much of the territory as they inhabit... Military glory,—that attractive rainbow that rises in showers of blood." -Abraham Lincoln, speech in the United States House of Representatives opposing the Mexican war (12 January 1848)
"Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so, whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose, and you allow him to make war at pleasure. Study to see if you can fix any limit to his power in this respect, after having given him so much as you propose. If, to-day, he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada, to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, "I see no probability of the British invading us" but he will say to you, "Be silent; I see it, if you don't." The provision of the Constitution giving the war making power to Congress was dictated, as I understand it, by the following reasons. Kings had always been involving and impoverishing their people in wars, pretending generally, if not always, that the good of the people was the object. This, our Convention understood to be the most oppressive of all Kingly oppressions; and they resolved to so frame the Constitution that no one man should hold the power of bringing this oppression upon us. But your view destroys the whole matter, and places our President where kings have always stood." -Abraham Lincoln, letter, while U.S. Congressman, to his friend and law-partner William H. Herndon, opposing the Mexican-American War (15 February 1848)
An Artillery Officer in the Mexican War 1846-1847
The Mexican–American War
My Country, ’Tis of Thee (1832)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Country,_%27Tis_of_Thee
https://bensguide.gpo.gov/j-america-my-country
My country, 'tis of Thee,
Sweet Land of Liberty
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let Freedom ring.My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright,
With freedom's holy light,
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.
