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He That Has Ears To Hear, Let Him Hear
(Matthew 11:15-30)
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EarsToHear.net Honors
America's Armed Forces
Freedom Is Not Free"The patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree." Thomas Campbell
"Let us recollect that peace or war will not always be left to our option; that however moderate or unambitious we may be, we cannot count upon the moderation, or hope to extinguish the ambition of others." --Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 34, 1788
"It is a principle incorporated into the settled policy of America, that as peace is better than war, war is better than tribute." --James Madison, letter to the Dey of Algiers, 1816
"Let the American youth never forget, that they possess a noble inheritance, bought by the toils, and sufferings, and blood of their ancestors; and capacity, if wisely improved, and faithfully guarded, of transmitting to their latest posterity all the substantial blessings of life, the peaceful enjoyment of liberty, property, religion, and independence." --Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833
"With hearts fortified with these animating reflections, we most solemnly, before God and the world, declare, that, exerting the utmost energy of those powers, which our beneficent Creator hath graciously bestowed upon us, the arms we have compelled by our enemies to assume, we will, in defiance of every hazard, with unabating firmness and perseverance employ for the preservation of our liberties; being with one mind resolved to die freemen rather than to live as slaves." --John Dickinson and Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of the Cause and Necessity of Taking up Arms, 1775
(A HistoryCentral.com resource: AMERICAS WARS-A COMPLETE HISTORY)
(See also PatriotFreedom.org/Military.php)
"Victory or Death"
Distinguishing between Patriots and cowards, our favorite
Founder, Samuel Adams, said: "Contemplate the mangled bodies of
your countrymen, and then say, 'What should be the reward of such
sacrifices?' ... If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility
of servitude than the animating contest of freedom...crouch down and
lick the hands, which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!"
PatriotPost.us "Congressmen who willfully take action during wartime that damages
morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested,
exiled, or hung." ~ Abraham Lincoln "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of
him, but because he loves what is behind him." --English writer
G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)
American Minute On OCTOBER 26, 1774, the Provincial
Congress of Massachusetts reorganized their defenses with one-third of
their regiments being "Minutemen," ready to fight at a minute's notice.
These citizen soldiers drilled on the parade ground, many times led by a
deacon or pastor, then went to church for exhortation and prayer. The
Provincial Congress charged: "You...are placed by Providence in the post
of honor, because it is the post of danger... The eyes not only of North
America and the whole British Empire, but of all Europe, are upon you.
Let us be, therefore, altogether solicitous that no disorderly behavior,
nothing unbecoming our character as Americans, as citizens and
Christians, be justly chargeable to us." The Provincial Congress issued
a Resolution to Massachusetts Bay, 1774: "Resistance to tyranny becomes
the Christian and social duty of each individual... Continue steadfast,
and with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those
rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us." Boston
patriot Josiah Quincy stated: "Under God, we are determined that
wheresoever, whensoever, or howsoever we shall be called to make our
exit, we will die free men." (More at
From the Pulpit to the battlefield.)
American Minute - August 27, 1776 - With Boston freed from British
occupation, New York was the next target. General Washington moved his
troops to New York and began to build defense works, fortifying Brooklyn
Heights. Enthusiasm was high and Washington's ranks swelled to nearly
20,000. Before long, hundreds of British ships filled New York's harbor,
carrying 32,000 troops. It was the largest invasion force assembled in
world history up to that date. The thousands of wooden masts of the
British ships were described as looking like a forest. As apprehension spread, General George Washington
ordered, May 15, 1776: "The Continental Congress having ordered Friday
the 17th instant to be observed as a Day of Fasting, Humiliation and
Prayer, humbly to supplicate the mercy of Almighty God, that it would
please Him to pardon all our manifold sins and transgressions, and to
prosper the arms of the United Colonies, and finally establish the peace
and freedom of America upon a solid and lasting foundation; The General
commands all officers and soldiers to pay strict obedience to the orders
of the Continental Congress; that, by their unfeigned and pious
observance of their religious duties, they may incline the Lord and
Giver of victory to prosper our arms. Washington's men were encouraged by messengers from
Philadelphia, July 9, 1776, who delivered a copy of the recently passed
Declaration of Independence. Washington had it read out loud to his
troops. The Declaration mentioned God four times: "Laws of Nature and of
Nature's God..." "All Men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights..." "Appealing to the
Supreme Judge of the World for the Rectitude of our Intentions..." "With
a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence." On AUGUST 27,
1776, the Battle of Brooklyn Heights took place. It was the first major battle after America had
officially declared its independence, and it was the largest battle of
the entire war. Washington expected an attack from the sea, similar to
what the British did at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Instead, 10,000
British troops landed a distance from New York and a British loyalist
led them through Jamaica Pass, marching all night long to make a
surprise attack on the Continental Army from behind. An estimated 3,000
Americans were killed or wounded compared to only 392 British
casualties. Washington exclaimed: "Good God, what brave fellows I have
lost this day," as he watched 400 soldiers of the First Maryland
Regiment charge six times into the British lines, allowing the rest of
the Continental Army find cover. British General Howe trapped the 8,000 American
troops on Brooklyn Heights with their backs against the sea. That night,
Washington made the desperate decision to evacuate his entire army by
ferrying it across the East River to Manhattan Island. The sea was
boisterous where the British ships were, but providentially calm in the
East River allowing Washington's boats to transport troops, horses and
cannons. The next morning, as the sun began to rise, half of the America
troops were still in danger, but a "miraculously" thick fog lingered
blocking the evacuation from being seen by the British. Major Ben Tallmadge, Washington's Chief of
Intelligence, wrote: "As the dawn of the next day approached, those of
us who remained in the trenches became very anxious for our own safety,
and when the dawn appeared there were several regiments still on duty.
At this time a very dense fog began to rise off the river, and it seemed
to settle in a peculiar manner over both encampments. I recollect this
peculiar providential occurrence perfectly well, and so very dense was
the atmosphere that I could scarcely discern a man at six yards
distance... We tarried until the sun had risen, but the fog remained as
dense as ever." General Washington was on the last boat that left
Brooklyn Heights. Had the Americans not been able to evacuate, the war
would have ended there. As it happened, the British never again had such
an opportunity to capture the entire American army at one time.
Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull had written earlier to General
George Washington, July 13, 1775: "May the God of the armies of Israel
shower down the blessings of his Divine Providence...in the day of
battle and danger." Endnotes Washington, George. August 27, 1776. John
Fiske, The American Revolution, 2 vols. (Boston & New York: Houghton,
Mifflin & Co., 1898), Vol. I, p. 212. Marshall Foster & Mary-Elaine
Swanson, The American Covenant - The Untold Story (Roseburg, OR:
Foundation for Christian Self-Government, 1981; Thousand Oaks, CA: The
Mayflower Institute, 1983, 1992), p. 41. George F. Scheer & Hugh F.
Rankin, Rebels & Redcoats (NY: The World Publishing Co., 1957), p. 171.
Peter Marshall & David Manuel, The Light & the Glory (Old Tappan, NJ:
Fleming H. Revell Co., 1977), p. 315.
American Minute with Bill Federer December 26 - The first six months of
the Revolution saw the Continental Army chased out of New York, across
New Jersey, and into Pennsylvania. Ranks dwindled from 20,000 to 2,000
exhausted soldiers- most leaving at year's end when their six-month
enlistment was up. Expecting a British invasion, the Continental
Congress fled Philadelphia and sent the word: "Until Congress shall
otherwise order, General Washington shall be possessed of full power to
order and direct all things." In a military operation, with the password
"Victory or Death," Washington's troops crossed the ice-filled Delaware
River at midnight Christmas Day. Trudging in a blinding blizzard, with
one soldier freezing to death, they attacked the feared Hessian troops
at Trenton, New Jersey, on daybreak DECEMBER 26, 1776, capturing nearly
a thousand in just over an hour. A few Americans were shot and wounded,
including James Monroe, the future 5th President. Washington wrote
August 20, 1778: "The Hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all
this-the course of the war-that he must be worse than an infidel that
lacks faith, and more wicked that has not gratitude to acknowledge his
obligations; but it will be time enough for me to turn Preacher when my
present appointment ceases."
American Minute for December 19th: Driven into Pennsylvania by the
British,
the Continental Army set up camp at Valley
Forge, DECEMBER 19,
1777, just 25 miles from British occupied Philadelphia. Lacking food and
supplies, soldiers died at the rate of twelve per day. Of 11,000 soldiers,
2,500 died of cold, hunger and disease. A Committee from Congress reported
"feet and legs froze till they became black, and it was often necessary to
amputate them." Soldiers were there from every State in the new union,
some as
young as 12, others as old as 60, and though most were white, some
were African American and American Indians. Quaker farmer Isaac Potts
observed General Washington kneeling in prayer in the snow. Hessian Major
Carl
American Minute for January 3rd: Frederick
the Great of Prussia called these ten days "the most brilliant in the
world's history." After winning the Battle of Trenton,
Christmas night, George Washington's small force met General Cornwallis'
8,000 man British army. The night before the battle, Washington left his
campfires burning and silently marched his army around the back of the
British camp at Princeton, New Jersey. At daybreak, JANUARY 3, 1777,
Washington attacked, capturing three regiments of British troops.
Enthusiasm swept America. Yale President Ezra Stiles stated in an
Election Address before the Governor and General Assembly of
Connecticut: "In our lowest and most dangerous state, in 1776 and 1777,
we sustained ourselves against the British Army of 60.000 troops,
commanded by...the ablest generals Britain could procure throughout
Europe, with a naval force of 22,000 seamen in above 80 men-of-war.
Who but a Washington, inspired by Heaven, could have conceived
the surprise move upon the enemy at Princeton-or that Christmas eve when
Washington and his army crossed the Delaware?" Ezra Stiles continued:
"The United States are under peculiar obligations to become a holy
people unto the Lord our God."
...An eyewitness, J. Thomas
Scharf, in History of Western Maryland, described a demonstration by
Captain Michael Cresap's rifle company of "upwards of 130 men": "(To] show
the gentlemen of the town their dexterity at shooting. A clapboard, with a
mark the size of a dollar, was put up; they began to fire off-hand, and
the bystanders were surprised, so few shots being made that were not close
to or in the paper. "When they had shot for a time in this way, some lay
on their backs, some on their breast or side, others ran twenty or thirty
steps, and, firing, appeared to be equally certain of the mark. With this
performance the company was more than satisfied, when a young man took up
the board in his hand, not by the end, but by the side, and holding it up,
his brother walked to the distance, and very coolly shot into the white;
laying down his rifle, he took up the board, and, . holding it as was held
before, the second brother shot as the former had done. "By this exercise
I was more astonished than pleased. But will you believe me, when I tell
you, that one of the men took the board, and placing it between his legs,
stood with his back to the tree, while another drove the center?"
...John Harrower recorded a
similar account of how a rifle company commander in Virginia sought to
identify the best marksmen out of an overflow crowd of volunteers. The
colonel's solution was a shooting contest: "Col. Washington ... made a
demand of 500 Riflemen from the frontiers. But those that insisted on
going far exceeded the number wanted when in order to avoid giving
offence, the commanding officer chose his company by the following method,
viz. He took a board of a foot square and with chalk drew the shape of a
moderate nose in the center and nailed it up to a tree at 150 yards
distance and those who came nighest the mark with a single ball was to go.
But by the first 40 or 50 that fired the nose was all blown out of the
board, and by the time his company was [filled] up, the board shared the
same fate."
"The republic
was not established by cowards, and cowards will not preserve it."
--American writer Elmer Davis (1800-1858) 
Click the picture for mp3.
Leopold Baurmeister noted the only thing that kept the American army
from disintegrating was their "spirit of liberty." In a letter written to
John Banister, Washington recorded: "To see men without clothes to cover
their nakedness, without blankets to lay on, without shoes, by which their
marches might be traced by the blood from their feet...and at Christmas
taking up their...quarters within a day's march of the enemy...is a mark
of patience and obedience which in my opinion can scarce be paralleled."
A Nation of Marksmen by Clayton E. Cramer - We think of James Madison,
the father of the Bill of Rights, including the Second Amendment, as an
intellectual, not a man of the field or of action. However, Madison wrote
a letter in 1775 to William Bradford in Philadelphia that shows a
different side: "The strength of this Colony will lie chiefly in the
rifle-men of the Upland Counties, of whom we shall have great numbers. You
would be astonished at the perfection this art is brought to. The most
inexpert hands rec(k]on it an indifferent shot to miss the bigness of a
man's face at the distance of 100 Yards. I al!" far from being among the
best Be should not often miss it on a fair trial at that distance. If we
corne into an engagement, I make no doubt but the officers of the enemy
will fall at the distance before they get (within] 150 or 200 Yards.
Indeed I believe 'we have men that would very often hit such a mark 250
Yds." 
...Other eyewitness accounts of
Cresap's company, published in The Virginia Gazette, also report on their
marksmanship, suggesting that they were capable of one to two minutes of
arc accuracy: ",We mention a fact which can be fully attested by several
of the reputable persons who were eyewitnesses of it. Two brothers in the
company took a piece of board five inches broad and seven inches long,
with a bit of white paper, about the size of a dollar, nailed in the
centre; and while one of them supported this board perpendicularly between
his knees, the other, at the distance of upwards of sixty yards, and
without any kind of rest, shot eight bullets through it successively, and
spared a brother's thigh! "Another of the company held a barrel stave
perpendicularly in his hands with one edge close to his side, while one of
his comrades, at the same distance, and in the manner before mentioned,
shot several bullets through it, without any apprehension of danger on
either side. "The spectators appearing to be amazed at these feats, were
told that there were upwards of fifty persons in the same company who
could do the same thing; that there was not one who could not plug
nineteen bullets out of twenty, as they termed it, within an inch of the
head of a tenpenny nail.
American Minute for January 17th: The Battle of Cowpens, JANUARY 17, 1781, depicted in Mel Gibson's movie "The Patriot," was where American General Daniel Morgan had a line of militia fire into British General Cornwallis' and Colonel Tarleton's dragoons, regulars, Highlanders and loyalists. When the Americans retreated, the British pursued, only to be surprised by American Continentals waiting over the hill. In the confusion, the Americans killed 110 British and captured 830. Cornwallis regrouped and chased the Americans, arriving at the Catawba River just two hours after the Americans had crossed, but a storm made the river impassable. He nearly overtook them as they were getting out of the Yadkin River, but rain flooded the river. This happened again at the Dan River. British Commander Henry Clinton wrote: "Here the royal army was again stopped by a sudden rise of the waters, which had only just fallen (almost miraculously) to let the enemy over." In March of 1781, General Washington wrote to William Gordon: "We have...abundant reasons to thank Providence for its many favorable interpositions in our behalf. It has at times been my only dependence, for all other resources seemed to have failed us."
See dedicated "Black Founders" page covering the thousands of
blacks who served this country in her hour of need? Their deeds were no less
important than those of their white neighbors. They fought and died on the
battlefields. They road the countryside as couriers. They held office. The wrote
in support of independence. The led their communities.
See Did You Know? for "From the Pulpit to the Battlefield" and more...
"There is a time for all things, a time to preach and a time to pray, but those times have passed away. There is a time to fight, and that time has now come." --Peter Muhlenberg, from a Lutheran sermon read at Woodstock, Virginia, 1776
"In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection. - Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered." --Benjamin Franklin
Home of the Free because of the Brave
To those warriors who have passed on since, and to those who gave their youth, their health, and their peace of mind in the fight for freedom, particularly the freedom of speech, these Eternal writings are also for you.
"It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it [the Constitution] a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution." --James Madison, Federalist No. 37
"A
universal peace ... is in the catalogue of events, which will never
exist but in the imaginations of visionary philosophers, or in the
breasts of benevolent enthusiasts." --James Madison
"The willingness of some to give their lives so that others might live never fails to evoke in us a sense of wonder and mystery." ..."Well, they didn't volunteer to die; they volunteered to defend values for which men have always been willing to die if need be, the values which make up what we call civilization." ..."It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country ... in wars far away. The imagination plays a trick. We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray-haired. But most of them were boys when they died, and they gave up two lives -- the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for their country, for us. All we can do is remember." --Ronald Reagan
"The right of resisting oppression is a natural right."
President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845)
Feb.
23, 1836: The advance elements of a 4,000-plus-man Mexican army under
the command of Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna begin the siege of the
isolated Texas Army garrison at the Alamo mission near (now part of
present-day) San Antonio, Texas, during the Texas War of Independence.
The following day, South Carolina-born Lt. Col. William Barret Travis,
the garrison commander, dispatches a letter "to the People of Texas and
all the Americans in the World" a portion of which reads: "The enemy
has demanded the surrender; at discretion, otherwise the garrison is to
be put to the sword if the fort is taken. I have answered the summons
with cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I
shall never surrender or retreat. ...I am determined to sustain myself as
long as possible, and die like a soldier who never forfeits what is due
to his own honor and that of his country. Victory or death! ...The
Alamo's
approximately 200-man garrison – including Travis, Kentucky
knife-fighter Col. Jim Bowie, and Tennessee's legendary frontiersman and
legislator Davy Crockett will be wiped out nearly to a man when the
Mexicans storm the mission on March 6. But the drama which plays out
over the two-week period as well as the courage and against-all-hope
tenacity of the Alamo's little force, will make heroes of the defenders.
And the battle will become as much a part of American military history
and tradition as it is Texas lore.
Feb. 23, 1847: Eleven years after the Alamo -
during the Mexican-American War a Mexican army under Santa Anna launches a series
of attacks against a numerically inferior U.S. Army force under the
command of Gen. (and future president) Zachary Taylor near Buena Vista.
Though Taylor is surprised and outnumbered (Santa Anna fielding at least
15,000 men to Taylor's 4,800), the Americans, fighting on good
defensible ground, are well-disciplined, and that combined with
superbly employed artillery beat back the Mexicans who are forced to
withdraw with heavy losses.
REMEMBERING
THE ALAMO By Chuck Baldwin - March 6 marks the anniversary of
the fall of the Alamo back in 1836. For more than 13 days, 186 brave and
determined patriots withstood Santa Anna's seasoned army of over 4,000
troops. To a man, the defenders of that mission fort knew they would
never leave those ramparts alive. They had several opportunities to
leave and live. Yet, they chose to fight and die. How foolish they must
look to this generation of spoiled Americans. It is difficult to recall
that stouthearted men such as Davy Crockett (a nationally known
frontiersman and former Congressman), Will Travis (only 23 years old
with a little baby at home), and Jim Bowie (a wealthy landowner with
properties on both sides of the Rio Grande) really existed.
These were real men with real dreams and real desires. Real blood flowed
through their veins. They loved their families and enjoyed life as much
as any of us. There was something different about them, however. They
possessed a commitment to liberty that transcended personal safety and
comfort. Early in the siege, Travis wrote
these words to the people of Texas: "Fellow Citizens & Compatriots: I am
besieged by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna.
. . . The
enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise the garrison are
to be put to the sword . . . I have answered the demand with a cannon shot
& our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or
retreat. . . . VICTORY OR DEATH! P.S. The Lord is on our side. . . ."
...Please try to remember the heroes of the Alamo as
you watch our gutless political and religious leaders surrender to
compromise and political correctness. Try to recall the time in this
country when ordinary men and women had the courage of their convictions
and were willing to sacrifice their lives for freedom and independence.
One thing is certain: those courageous champions at
the Alamo did not die for a political party or for some "lesser of two
evils" mantra. They fought and died for a principle, and that principle
was liberty and independence. So did the men at Lexington and Concord.
That is our heritage.
...Today, however, our national leaders are in the process
of turning America over to the very forces that the Alamo defenders gave
their lives resisting. On second thought, do they look foolish, or do we?
7th
day of the Siege of the Alamo - The Alamo mission at San
Antonio was in its 7th day of being assaulted by thousands of Santa
Anna's troops. By the 13th day, Santa Anna's "take-no-prisoner" policy
had all the defenders, numbering between 182-257, killed, including Jim
Bowie and former U.S. Congressman Davy Crockett, and the few that
surrendered were executed. The only Texas army left in the field was
Col. James Fannin's. It departed Goliad to rescue the Alamo but was
surrounded in open ground and captured. Santa Anna ordered all 350
prisoners executed. When the Mexican officer hesitated obeying the
execution order, Santa Anna sent another officer who carried it out.
Had Fannin's troops been left in prison, Texas would have been
disheartened, but instead, Santa Anna's cruelty aroused world outrage.
The Texas Declaration of Independence, signed MARCH 2, 1836, stated:
"General Antonio Lopez Santa Anna...demanded us to deliver up our arms,
which are essential to our defense-the rightful property of freemen-and
formidable only to tyrannical governments... has, through its
emissaries, incited the merciless savage, with the tomahawk and scalping
knife, to massacre the inhabitants of our defenseless frontiers... We
fearlessly...commit the issue to the...Supreme Arbiter of the destinies
of nations."
"It is important also to consider, that the surest means of avoiding war is to be prepared for it in peace." -- Joseph Story (Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833) Reference: Story, Commentaries on the Constitution, 415. The Patriot Post Founders' Quote Daily
Mark Twain: "It is a worthy thing to fight for one's freedom; it is another sight finer to fight for another man's."
"It is the soldier, not the
reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.
"It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
"It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
"It is the soldier, who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag."
Charles M. Province
Military Stories (Reader's Digest) Read true stories about America's military heroes at home and abroad.
WWII: A Look Back
Solving a Mystery at Sea
Slide Show: The Search for the Grunion
Two Pilots, Friends for Life
The Navajos' Unbreakable Code
Medal of Honor: Profiles in Valor
The Price of Victory Harris Sherline - The cost of war is a frequent topic these days in the media and politics, with numbers being cited about Iraq and Afghanistan, the defense budget and the U.S. military in general. But, the following commentary, which was sent to me by a friend whose career as an engineer at Lockheed spanned some 28 years working on top secret aircraft, is the first detailed analysis that I have seen. Its worth a look. Lots of specifics about the cost of things, but keep in mind that there has been 1,323% inflation since 1942. HRS
Most Americans who were not adults during WWII have no understanding of the magnitude of it. This listing of aircraft facts gives a bit of insight. *276,00 aircraft manufactured in the U.S. *43,000 planes lost overseas, including 23,000 in combat. *14,000 lost in the continental U.S. *The US civilian population maintained a dedicated effort for four years, many working long hours seven days per week and often also volunteering for other work. *WWII was the largest human effort in history.
Japanese Surrender - Amazing Footage Sept 2, 1945... Actual film made of the surrender ceremony of the Japanese to McArthur in Tokyo Bay in September 1945. Actual voice of the General. Never been shown to the general public before. See the other signers to the document, from New Zealand/Australia to Europe/Russia.
VJ Day, Honolulu Hawaii, August 14, 1945 by Richard Sullivan - ...my Dad shot this film along Kalakaua Ave. in Waikiki capturing spontaneous celebrations that broke out upon first hearing news of the Japanese surrender. Kodachrome 16mm film: God Bless Kodachrome, right? I was able to find an outfit (mymovietransfer.com) to do a much superior scan of this footage to what I had previously posted, so I re-did this film and replaced the older version There are more still images from this amazing day, in color, at discoveringhawaii.com
American Minute for February 3rd: On the frigid night of FEBRUARY 3, 1943, the Allied ship Dorchester plowed through the waters near Greenland. At 1:00am, a Nazi submarine fired a torpedo into its flank, killing many in the explosion and trapping others below deck. It the ensuing chaos, four chaplains: a priest, a rabbi and two protestant ministers; distributed life jackets. When there were none left, the four chaplains ripped off their own jackets and put them on four young men. Standing embraced on the slanting deck, the chaplains bowed their heads in prayer as they sank to their icy deaths. Congress honored them by declaring this "Four Chaplains Day." On February 7, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower remarked: "And we remember that, only a decade ago, aboard the transport Dorchester, four chaplains of four faiths together willingly sacrificed their lives so that four others might live. In the three centuries that separate the Pilgrims of the Mayflower from the chaplains of the Dorchester, America's freedom, her courage, her strength, and her progress have had their foundation in faith." Eisenhower concluded: "Today as then, there is need for positive acts of renewed recognition that faith is our surest strength, our greatest resource." American Minute with Bill Federer FEBRUARY - Four Chaplains Day. http://www.fourchaplains.org.
"While the San Diego-based U.S.S. Hoel was steaming toward Melbourne, Australia, on Ash Wednesday, its crew heard of terrible brush fires sweeping two Australian States. More than 70 people were killed and the destruction was great. Well, the crew of this American ship raised $4,000 from their pockets to help, but they felt that it wasn't enough. So, leaving only a skeleton crew aboard, the 100 American sailors gave up a day's shore leave, rolled up their sleeves, and set to work rebuilding a ruined community on the opposite end of the Earth. Just Americans being Americans, but something for all of us to be proud of. Stories like these -- of men and women around the world who love God and freedom -- bear a message of world hope and brotherhood like the rites of Passover and Easter that we celebrate." --Ronald Reagan
Portraits
of Valor: Tibor Rubin's story should be known by every American.
Born a Hungarian Jew, he was sent to die in a concentration camp as a
child. When freed by Americans, he vowed to God that he would become a
GI himself. He later saved his entire Army unit in Korea by defending a
mountaintop alone. When captured, he refused release so that he could
use lessons he learned in concentration camps to help other American
POWs survive. Few lives embody the love of God and the greatness of
the human spirit more than this child war refuge who received our
nation's highest honor.
More at: http://www.greatamericans.com/pages/military
"Before You Go" is offered as an expression of heartfelt gratitude to our aging veterans - those who fought and won the Second World War, fought in Korea to preserve that victory, and later in an unpopular war to stop post WWII communist aggressions in Vietnam.
American Minute for November 13th: The Vietnam War Memorial was dedicated NOVEMBER 13, 1982, honoring 58,000 American troops who died. U.S. forces inflicted over a million enemy fatalities, yet politicians did not allow a victory. A former Communist North Vietnamese colonel, Bui Tin, called the American "peace movement" essential: "Every day our leadership would listen to the world news over the radio to follow the growth of the American anti-war movement. Visits to Hanoi by people like Jane Fonda and former Attorney General Ramsey Clark gave us confidence that we should hold on in the face of battlefield reverses." On October 12, 1967, during Operation Medina, Marine Sergeant George Hutchings of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Division, had a dozen men killed around him when ambushed by North Vietnamese in the Hai Lang jungle. Months later, after numerous battles, George was shot three times, bayoneted and left for dead. He survived and was later awarded the Purple Heart. Of the Vietnam Memorial, George Hutchings said: "On that wall is the name of Corporal Quinton Bice, who was hit in the chest with a rocket running a patrol in my place. A Christian, he had shared the Gospel with me, but I didn't understand it till he gave his life in my place."
Video: Our Vietnam
Generation: Michigan Vietnam Vets, but says it all for every Vietnam Vet.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall
in Washington DC honors the fallen of the Vietnam War. Relatives and friends
leave letters, poems, and photographs there and on this web site named The
Virtual Wall ®. We bring the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to your home.
It doesnt take a hero to
order men into battle.
It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle
General Norman Schwarzkopf
"Our military strength is a
prerequisite to peace, but let it be clear we maintain this strength in
the hope it will never be used, for the ultimate determinant in the
struggle that's now going on in the world will not be bombs and rockets
but a test of wills and ideas, a trial of spiritual resolve, the values we
hold, the beliefs we cherish, the ideals to which we are dedicated.
"Ronald Reagan
"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived." General George S. Patton
Heroes aren't athletes who set new sports records, or Hollywood actors who make daring films or politicians who make bold promises. Heroes are people who place themselves at risk for the benefit of others. Oliver North
"[L]et us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us re-consecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain." Dwight Eisenhower
"The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war." Douglas MacArthur
"I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way." John Paul Jones
"It is the madness of folly, to expect mercy from those who have refused to do justice; and even mercy, where conquest is the object, is only a trick of war; the cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf." Thomas Paine
SOON TO BE GONE By a Military Doctor - This should be required reading in every school and college in our country. This Captain, an Army doctor, deserves a medal himself for putting this together. If you choose not to pass it on, fine, but I think you will want to, after you read it. ..I am a doctor specializing in Emergency Medicine in the Emergency Departments of the only two military Level One trauma centers. They are both in San Antonio, TX and they care for civilian emergencies as well as military personnel. San Antonio has the largest military retiree population in the world living here because of the location of these two large military medical centers. ...Situation permitting I now try to ask my patients about their experiences. They would never bring up the subject without the inquiry. I have been privileged to an amazing array of experiences recounted in the brief minutes allowed in an Emergency Dept encounter. These experiences have revealed the incredible individuals I have had the honor of serving in a medical capacity, many on their last admission to the hospital.
Veterans Day, we encourage teachers to visit the official Veterans Affairs website for instruction and learning aids on the history and significance of Veterans Day.
The Special Operations Warrior Foundation was founded 29 years ago to provide support and assistance to the U. S. military's special operations community, which consists of Army Special Forces (Green Berets), the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Navy Small Boat Teams, Navy SEALs, Air Force Combat Controllers, Air Force rotary and fixed wing squadrons, and Marine Corps special operations personnel.
Building Homes for Heroes provides individuals, corporations and
others with an opportunity to help our severely wounded and disabled veterans
and their families rebuild their lives.
A Tale of Two Americas - Bill Whittle of PJTV (Video 16min) - We're Going To Be Okay - Ordinary Men & Extraordinary Heroes: Serving those who serve America. Like Walt Fricke, VeteransAirlift.org, uniting soldiers and their loved ones.
The Veterans Airlift Command provides free air transportation to wounded warriors, veterans and their families for medical and other compassionate purposes through a national network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots. Our priority is on the veterans of Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). As capacity allows, our mission will expand to serve veterans of other conflicts.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Just follow these steps:
"The willingness with which our young people are likely
to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional
as to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and
appreciated by their Nation." George Washington
Distinguishing
between Patriots and cowards, our favorite Founder, Samuel Adams, said:
&"Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, 'What should
be the reward of such sacrifices?' ... If ye love wealth better
than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of
freedom...crouch down and lick the hands, which feed you. May your chains sit
lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!"
PatriotPost.us /a>
Honoring those who risked,
sacrificed, and paid the ultimate sacrifice, so that we may enjoy life, liberty,
freedom, the pursuit of happiness and MTV. More than 41 million men and women
have served in the Armed Forces of this country and over a million have died
defending it. Learn the difference between cowards and patriots. "Those who celebrate
America's 228th Independence Day on lonely outposts in Afghanistan and Iraq are
a magnificent reflection of who we are as a people. Our soldiers, sailors,
airmen, guardsmen and Marines who have placed themselves between us and the
terrorists who would kill us if they had the chance are the best proof of all
that America remains 'the home of the brave and the land of the free'."
Oliver
North
Click
here
to see how
American Military resources disappeared during the Clinton/Gore Administration "[Rene] Gonzalez, a grad student and vehement opponent to the
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan...would do well to remember that he eats, sleeps,
and writes, under the very blanket of freedom that soldiers like Pat Tillman
provide." Sarah Longwell
Move America Forward is a
non-partisan, not-for-profit organization committed to supporting America's
efforts to defeat terrorism and supporting the brave men and women of our Armed
Forces.
Medal of Honor
Citations Since 1861 Hero is a word which gets applied to just about anyone
in any kind of uniform these days. If you have a doubt as to what a hero
really is, read a few of the 3,400 Medal of
Honor recipient citations. "To be prepared for war is
one of the most effectual means of preserving peace." George Washington "Let every nation know, whether it wishes
us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship,
support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of
liberty." John F. Kennedy
World War II
Operation Komanda
- A way to show your support for our troops
overseas? With Operation Komando, we can all do our part in helping the
troops serving our country. Show your support for the troops working to
protect our freedoms. They need everyday items that are difficult to come
by in the war zone. Every donation makes a difference!
1. Get the military kit from the U.S. Postal Service
2. Package the items carefully
3. Address it correctly and send via USPS! 
Wounded Warrior Project
At WWP, we're committed to supporting not only our wounded warriors, but also
the individuals who sustain them on their path to recovery. In the spring of
2008, we launched our Caregiver Retreats to support this unique, devoted group
of family members who are helping their wounded loved ones face a range of
physical and mental challenges.
Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund
Honoring the Sons and
Daughters of America's Heroes 
At Campus Crusade Military Ministry, our privilege and responsibility is to
assist chaplains and commanders with caring for the spiritual well-being of troops and their families. We do this in many ways, but all focus on
the gospel because faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the Word of God.
PatriotPost.us
is proud to be one of the nation's leading advocates for our Armed Forces
and their mission -- not only by providing countless Americans with the
right perspective on that mission and the demanding tasks our military
personnel have carried out with unfailing courage and professionalism, but
also through efforts such as our Profiles of Valor,
Support and Defend pages,
Operation Shield of Strength and the
Patriot Shop, which carries an extensive collection of products
bearing official military insignia, the proceeds of which support our
mission of service to our Armed Forces.
"Our enemies may be irrational, even outright
insane, driven by nationalism, religion, ethnicity, or ideology. They do not
fear the United States for its diplomatic skills or the number of automobiles
and software programs it produces. They respect only the firepower of our
tanks, planes, and helicopter gunships." Ronald Reagan
Oath
Keepers is a non-partisan association of currently serving military,
reserves, National Guard, veterans, Peace Officers, and Fire Fighters who will
fulfill the Oath we swore, with the support of like minded citizens who take an
Oath to stand with us, to support and defend the Constitution against all
enemies, foreign and domestic, so help us God. Our Oath is to the Constitution.
Our motto is "Not on our watch!" (read complete description here)
The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne, France 2289 of our military dead.
The American Cemetery at Ardennes, Belgium 5329 of our dead.
The American Cemetery at Brittany, France 4410 of our military dead.
Brookwood, England American Cemetery 468 of our dead.
Cambridge, England 3812 of our military dead.
Epinal, France American Cemetery 5525 of our Military dead.
Flanders Field, Belgium 368 of our military.
Florence, Italy 4402 of our military dead.
Lorraine, France 10,489 of our military dead.
Luxembourg 5076 of our military dead.
Meuse-Argonne 14246 of our military dead.
Netherlands, Netherlands 8301 of our military dead.
Normandy, France 9387 of our military dead.
Oise-Aisne, France 6012 of our military dead.
Rhone, France 861 of our military dead.
Sicily, Italy 7861 of our military dead.
Somme, France 1844 of our military dead.
St. Mihiel, France 4153 of our military dead.
Suresnes, France 1541 of our military dead.
THE COUNT IS 104,366
Day is done,
gone the sun,
From the hills,
from the lake,
From the skies.
Rest in Peace,
Soldiers brave,
God is nigh.
25) "Don't fire until you see the whites of their
eyes!" -- William Prescott at the Battle Of Bunker Hill
24) "To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of
preserving peace." -- George Washington
23) "When this war is over, the Japanese language will be spoken only in
hell!" -- Admiral Bill Halsey on December 7, 1941
22) "Nuts." -- The response of General Anthony MacAuliffe, when asked to
surrender during the Battle of the Bulge, 1944
21) "I tremble for my country when I hear of confidence expressed in me.
I know too well my weakness, that our only hope is in God." -- Robert E.
Lee
20) "War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it
is, the sooner it will be over." -- Gen William T. Sherman
19) "Of the Marines on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue." --
Chester W. Nimitz
18) "They've got us surrounded again, the poor bastards." -- Creighton
W. Abrams, Battle of the Bulge
17) "Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let
it begin here" -- Captain John Parker, 1775
16) "We have gone forth from our shores repeatedly over the last hundred
years and we've done this as recently as the last year in Afghanistan
and put wonderful young men and women at risk, many of whom have lost
their lives, and we have asked for nothing except enough ground to bury
them in, and otherwise we have returned home to seek our own lives in
peace." -- Colin Powell
15) "We have met the enemy and they are ours!" -- Oliver Hazard Perry
14) "It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of
the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of
speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us
the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who
serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who
allows the protester to burn the flag." -- Father Dennis Edward O'Brien,
USMC
13) "I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast;
for I intend to go in harm's way." -- John Paul Jones
12) "Damn the torpedoes, Full speed ahead!" -- Admiral David Glasgow
Farragut
11) "I have only two men out of my company and 20 out of some other
company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here
as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I
have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold." --
Clifton B. Cates, Belleau Wood, July 1918
10) "Yonder are the Hessians. They were bought for seven pounds and
tenpence a man. Are you worth more? Prove it. Tonight the American flag
floats from yonder hill or Molly Stark sleeps a widow!" -- John Stark at
the Battle of Bennington in 1777
9) "Goddam it, you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole!
Follow me!" -- Henry P. Crowe
8) "Victory was never in doubt. Its cost was...What was in doubt, in all
our minds, was whether there would be any of us left to dedicate our
cemetery at the end, or whether the last Marine would die knocking out
the last Japanese gun and gunner." -- Major General Graves B. Erskin in
reference to the Battle Of Iwo Jima
7) "Come on, you sons of b!tches! Do you want to live forever?" -- Dan
Daly, WWI
6) "Don't you forget that you're First Marines! Not all the communists
in Hell can overrun you!" -- Lieutenant General Lewis "Chesty" Puller
when surrounded by eight enemy divisions
5) "Get there first with the most." -- Nathan Bedford Forrest
4) "It is fatal to enter a war without the will to win it." -- Douglas
MacArthur
3) "I am besieged by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa
Anna. I have sustained a continued bombardment for twenty-four hours and
have not lost a man. The enemy have demanded a surrender... otherwise
the garrison is to be put to the sword if the place is taken. I have
answered the summons with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves
proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat." -- William
B. Travis, Alamo
2)"If you kill enough of them, they stop fighting." -- Curtis LeMay
1) "No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by
making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." -- George
Patton
James Madison, essay in the National Gazette, 1792 -
"A universal peace, it is to be feared, is in the catalogue of events, which will never exist but in the imaginations of visionary philosophers, or in the breasts of benevolent enthusiasts."Understanding American Security
By Theodore R. Bromund, Ph.D. and Luke Coffey - For the Founding Fathers, a primary and central duty of the federal government created by the Constitution is to 'provide for the common defence.' The reason is simple: If we are not secure, we cannot be free. ... So when you think about American security, the first thing you need to remember is that, in the long run, the strength of America rests not solely on its armed forces. It also rests in the growth, the energy, and the flexibility of the American economy. ... But we can't just buy defense when times are good. Defense is like an insurance policy. If you have to take a job that pays less, you should spend less on vacations and nice restaurants. But it wouldn't be a good idea to stop paying your car insurance bill. Insurance protects you from big expenses that you can't afford. When times are tight, you need insurance more, not less. ... Being prepared for this dangerous world means we have to keep our military ready to defend our interests. It also means that we have to follow economic policies that will allow us to pay for the kind of military we need. ... George Washington was right to say, in his first State of the Union Address, that 'To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.'Back to America's Christian Heritage Index
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