Fourth of July

Most people know that on the July 4th, fireworks go off and people have barbecues.  Out of those people, most know why we celebrate that day.  If you ask a child, he or she will say "We have picnics and watch fireworks, but that's all.  The reason behind the celebration gets lost.  As the child grows up, he or she learns the real meaning behind the celebration of the 4th of July.

Our flag - fly it high and proud to celebrate freedom!

Independence Hall - where the Declaration was signed

The Signers' Hall

On this day in Philadelphia, representatives from the 13 original colonies finally agreed on the Declaration of Independence.  Just two days before, New York had abstained.  The Founding Fathers firmly believed that in order for this new nation to be a success, there needed to be unanimous agreement when it came to declaring independence against Great Britain.

No pens back then - ink and a quill

Statue of the Signer in Philadelphia

Five men worked tireless hours to make the document exactly what all men would agree upon.  Thomas Jefferson was the main writer of the text.  John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston were part of the committee to create the declaration.  Jefferson was chosen as the chief writer because the others knew he had a definite way with words.

Graff House - now known as Declaration House

Room at Graff House where Jefferson slept

Jefferson were retire to the Graff House (now known as Declaration House) each night to review the recommendations members of Congress made.  While he sat there, he would change words and phrases until he came up with something the members would agree upon. Jefferson was a bit of a perfectionist and was determined to rewrite the Declaration until all members were in agreement.

Every day there is a ceremonial reading of the Declaration

Several copies were made of the final draft - to be sent to each colony (now a state) to be read aloud to patriots and families who gathered in squares and churches to hear the famous words.  At the time, there were approximately 2.5 million people in the United States of America.  Today, there are over 300 million people.

John Adams

Thomas Jefferson

Did you know that two US presidents died on the 4th of July?  Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day - exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed. They died within hours of each other.

The Fourth of July has been a federal holiday since 1941 even though the celebration of this day has been going on since the Declaration was first signed in 1776.

Memorial Day

Arlington Cemetery - will be decorated with flags and flowers

On Monday, we celebrate Memorial Day across the United States.  This got me wondering – when did Memorial Day begin?  Was it after the Revolutionary War? The Civil War? World War I or II?  Just when did people start remembering the men and women who served our country and died trying to preserve our country and the freedom we fought so badly for?  What I learned did not surprise me.

Yorktown cannon

Memorial Day actually started after the Civil War.  Families started remembering their fallen husbands and sons who fought in the war.  The amazing thing is – both sides – the Union and the Confederacy were placing flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers. And yet, while both were doing it, they both did not celebrate Memorial Day together at first.  As a matter of fact, there are still states, that while they celebrate Memorial Day, they also have a separate day of remembrance for the fallen soldiers from their states on their own designated day.

soldiers' tents

General John Logan is credited with starting the first Memorial Day celebration.  He was the national commander of the GAR – the Grand Army of the Republic.  On May 5, he proclaimed in a general order (No. 11) that the first Memorial Day should be celebrated across the nation on May 30 in 1868.  At that time, flowers were placed on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.  Many other states claim the rights to the first Memorial Day, but President Lyndon Johnson actually gave the city of Waterloo, New York the official status as the first city where Memorial Day was celebrated.  By 1890, all the Northern states were celebrating Memorial Day.  The South refused to acknowledge it, at first, because of the way the order was worded – claiming it honored only those who died fighting in the Civil War –(in a way snubbing the Southerners because they fought against the North).  Once the order was changed to honor all those who died fighting in ANY war, then the South began to acknowledge the holiday and celebrate it.  Like I said above, many states still have their own celebrations – January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi, May 10 in South Carolina, and June 3 in Louisiana and Tennessee.

Lafayette's cannon

What many people do not remember is – Memorial Day was supposed to be celebrated on May 30^th each year.  But like many other things in our country, we tend to forget the origins and get so tied up in what is happening right now.  An act of Congress changed the holiday to be the last Monday in May in order to give workers a three day weekend.  When this happened, many people lost sight of the significance of the holiday.  Many started seeing it as the start of the summer.  Others forgot to fly flags.  Some people were just happy to have the day off.  Of course, retailers loved Memorial Day because they started having huge summer sales on this day.

American flag at Redoubt #9 - Yorktown

As a way to bring back the significance of the holiday, in 2000, the National Moment of Remembrance was passed.  This stated that at 3 pm on Memorial Day, everyone should stop what they are doing and observe a moment of silence – to reflect on the sacrifices made by the men and women who died serving our country.  Senator Inouye has proposed we return the date to May 30 but nothing has been done about his resolution in over 13 years.

fife and drum corps

Tomorrow at 3 pm, I know what I will be doing.  Remember the sacrifices that were made.  Almost all of us have someone in our family – a father, brother, son, grandfather, sister, mother, daughter, or even grandmother who served in a war.  Perhaps it was an aunt or uncle.  It might have even been a relative long ago who placed their life on the line for the freedom of this country or others across the world.  Remember them.  I know I will.

Here is Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA, which has stirred me ever since I first heard it after September 11^th.  He actually wrote it in 1983 but it did not become popular until later.  George Bush used it during his campaign, and it was played during the Iraq war.  September 11th really brought it back before the public and I think on a day like Memorial Day, we need to read the words to see why we do love this country and why we fight for it year after year.

If tomorrow all the things were gone,

I’d worked for all my life.

And I had to start again,

With just my children and my wife.

I’d thank my lucky stars,

To be livin’ here today.

‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom,

And they can’t take that away.

And I’m proud to be an American,

Where at least I know I’m free

And I won’t forget the men who died,

Who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,

Next to you and defend her still today.

‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,

God bless the USA.

From the lakes of Minnesota,

To the hills of Tennessee.

Across the plains of Texas,

From sea to shining sea.

From Detroit down to Houston,

And New York to LA.

Well there’s pride in every American heart,

And it’s time we stand and say.

That I’m proud to be an American,

Where at least I know I’m free.

And I won’t forget the men who died,

Who gave that right to me.

And I’d gladly stand up,

Next to you and defend her still today.

‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,

God bless the USA.

Veteran's Day

This week everyone will get to celebrate Veteran’s Day.  For most they are just excited to be off from work on extra day.  For others this is a solemn celebration.  For everyone it should be a time of remembrance for all who have fought in the many wars that have marked our nation’s history.

Veteran’s Day, originally called Armistice Day marks the end of World War I.  The fighting stopped on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour.  We have all heard of the Treaty of Versailles that ended WWI, but what people don’t know is that the fighting had actually stopped seven months before this treaty was signed (on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in the eleventh hour).  This was in 1918.

President Wilson proclaimed November 11^th Armistice Day in 1919 and that “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the council of the nations.”

Finally on May 13, 1938, the 11^th day of November was approved by Congress as an official holiday called Armistice Day.  After World War II, the day was changed to Veteran’s Day to celebrate the veterans from both wars and the sacrifices they made.

So when did we begin having the day off?

After much confusion over the celebration of the day, the first observance of the day was in 1971.  The day was supposed to encourage employees to take long weekends by having off on the Monday closest to it.  The other holidays placed in this category were – Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, and Columbus Day.  Unfortunately many still celebrated them on their real dates.

Finally, the government agreed that Veteran’s Day remain on November 11 to commemorate the official cessation of fighting.  The historical significance of the date was important to veterans and should be remembered as such.  This is why Veteran’s Day is celebrated on November 11^th each year.

When you are off this Friday, take time to remember the veterans in your life and those you do not know.  When you see them, thank them for making the sacrifice to fight for their country.  Without the men and women who volunteered to fight, our country would not be here, we would not have the freedoms we so dearly cherish, and most of all we would not be known as the great nation we are.  Instead of sleeping in – take time to visit a veteran in your life and say Thank You.  If you don’t know one, visit a nursing facility in your neighborhood and, I guarantee you will find a man or woman who served their country there.

And, most importantly, on the eleventh hour of this eleventh day of the eleventh month – stop what you are doing.  Say the pledge.  Sing the National Anthem.  We are proud to be Americans.

Halloween

Just when did Halloween come to the United States?  It actually came over with the settlers and their own English traditions.

Halloween was originally called “All Hallow’s Eve” or the night before All Saint’s Day, November 1.  It was mostly celebrated in southern states like Maryland and Virginia because the northern states were Puritans and did not believe in celebrating the dead.  People would gather and tell stories about the dead, they would tell fortunes, but most of all they would celebrate the harvest coming in.

Halloween did not become popular in the northern states until the second half of the 19^th century when more Irish immigrants came to our country.  Americans combined Irish and English traditions together to form their own and this is where dressing up on Halloween came from.  They also began to go door-to-door at this time.  During the 1800s, both children and adults began to celebrate the holiday with parties filled with games and treats.  When community leaders advised parents to take the “scary” parts out of Halloween, that’s when it lost its focus on witchcraft and the such and became a more watered down version of what Halloween had started as.  Next the community suggested offering treats to the children to keep them from playing tricks on the neighbors.  Now children expect to go door-to-door for their treats and really don’t even think about doing tricks any longer.

9/11 - We Will Never Forget

Today is an important day for Americans - 9/11. Throughout our history there have been many such events that mark us as a nation. Times we will never forget. Franklin Roosevelt called the attack on Pearl Harbor "a day that would live in infamy". We now add 9/11 to this list. Listening to the names being read off this morning, one could not help but be moved to tears as loved ones added their family's names to the list of over 3000 names.

Let Freedom Ring!

Our nation began with events such as this - fighting against tyranny across the Atlantic Ocean. After the French and Indian War, King George decided the colonies would have to pay taxes because the war cost so much money. The colonists did not want to pay for King George's war. Military force was used to coerce the colonists to pay - people were thrown in prison, hung, and even tar and feathered for not paying the taxes. British troops fired into a crowd of people, killing many. The Boston Massacre in 1770 showed just how brutal the British could be. The colonists decided this was not fair and we fought back by declaring our independence.

The Eagle in the Senate room at Independence Hall

Once we became a nation there was the War of 1812 when British troops not only invaded Washington, DC but burned the White House. American soldiers were being captured and impressed into service for England, trade restrictions kept us from trading with France, and Britain sided with the Indians as we tried to expand northwest.

Our White House still survives

In 1898, the Maine was sunk in Havana when it was sent to protect US interests in Cuba. After that the words "Remember the Maine, to hell with Spain!" was echoed through the streets. Most of the crew were sleeping or resting in their quarters when it happened. Over 250 men lost their lives that day. Most of the officers only survived because their quarters were aft, far from the area exploded.  The sinking was one of the main causes of the Spanish-American War.

9/11 Memorial at the Fire Museum in Philadelphia

Our entry into World War I came not long after the sinking of the Lusitania. The United States had interests in Britain and France at the time of the war and managed to stay out for several years.  A German U-boat sank the Lusitania as it traveled from New York to Great Britain. Almost 1200 people died, and 128 of them were Americans. Many people believe if  not for the sinking of this ship, America would have stayed out of the war, but others feel something else would have brought the US into WWI.

They signed their names because they believed in freedom

The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese occurred on a Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. Up to this point, the United States had managed to stay directly out of the war, even though they were preparing to battle just in case. Most of the ships were sitting peacefully at their slips, the men sleeping in their bunks when the attack began. The following day, American declared war on Japan.

It may be tattered and torn, but it still means freedom

These are the ones we remember the most. The ones that we see on the news all the time. Other wars we entered because we disapproved of the way people across the world were being treated. 9/11 brought the fear of attack on Americans back home again. This was not an attack on soldiers stationed in other places of the world, this was an attack on innocent civilians as they went about their daily business. Osama bin Laden declared responsibility for the attacks and claimed he did it because the US supported Isreal, they had troops in Saudi Arabia, and because of sanctions against Iraq. Many believe he had a deep hatred for the United States because he disapproved of our way of life and struck out at us in New York because of this.

International Space Station - good things happen
when we work together

Today is a day of remembrance. We need to remember why we fought for our freedom in 1775 and declared our independence.  We need to remember why we fought the Civil War - to give everyone a chance to be free. We need to remember no one has the right to hurt someone else because they don't like what they do. People like that are bullies. Bullies come in all shapes and sizes, sometimes even as big as countries, but if people stand together for what is right, then bullies will never really succeed.

When we remember those who died on September 11, 2001, let's also remember those who put their lives on the line every day for our freedom - the servicemen and women both here and overseas. Let's remember that the very first people who stood up for themselves did so because they believed in the right to live their lives without someone forcing them to live differently. Most of all, let's remember that across the world, not everyone is lucky enough to live the life we lead - with the freedom to choose.

Here's a special thank you to PV2 Tidball - our own soldier serving in Afghanistan! We want to send our thanks to you and the rest of the men and women serving with you! Thank you for helping to keep us safe when we are resting in our beds at night.

PV2 Tidball with Lefty and Righty -
 We are so proud of you