In the 1800s, settlers were flooding into Mexico-controlled Texas. In 1835, as the war for independence in Texas began to ramp up, a group of defenders took refuge in the old mission in San Antonio. Sam Houston, the commanding general, determined that the old mission was not a defensible position and recommended that it be abandoned for a better location. The men inside the Alamo refused, holding their ground against the massive body of troops on their way from Mexico.

While the defenders held off the Mexican army, Sam Houston was busy raising support throughout Texas. Detachments were raised, but it was a race against time to see if anyone would be able to get to the old mission in time to help those who were defending it. Col. William B. Travis was in charge of the old mission, and with around 180-220 men inside, they were vastly outnumbered by the large army approaching under the command of General Santa Anna. 

Those defending the Alamo, including David Crockett and James Bowie, managed to hold off the Mexican army for 13 days. On 6 March 1836, the Mexican army breached the mission and killed everyone inside, minus a small number of women and children. Instead of burying the defenders, the Mexican army burned their bodies and their ashes buried in a grove of trees, of which the location today has been lost. 

Around 350 troops under the command of Col. James Fannin attempted to reach the defenders at the Alamo, but were unsuccessful. After their surrender to the Mexican troops, Col. Fannin and his men were executed by the Mexican army on 27 March 1836. 

The fall of the Alamo and the subsequent massacre of Col Fannin’s regiment sent shock waves throughout Texas. Afterward, at the Battle of San Jacinto, the cry “Remember the Alamo” was heard as the Texans went on to defeat Santa Anna’s army. The phrase was also used during the later Mexican-American war.

Today, the Alamo is open to visitors, sharing the story of the beginning of the war for independence in Texas.

 Books on the Alamo:

1. A Time To Stand – Walter Lord
2. The Gates of the Alamo – Stephen Harrigan
3. The Blood of Heroes: The 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo – James Donovan
4. David Crockett: The Lion of the West – Michael Wallis
5. A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Memory – Randy W. Roberts
6. 13 Days To Glory – Lon Tinkle
7. Texan Iliad: A Military History of the Texas Revolution, 1835-1836 – Stephen L. Hardin

Movies on the Alamo:

1. The Martyrs of the Alamo (1915 – silent film)
2. Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier (1955)
3. The Last Command (1955)
4. The Alamo (1960) with John Wayne
5. The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory (1987)
6. The Alamo (2004)

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During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress met and declared their independence from England, signing the Declaration of Independence on July 2, 1776. It was ratified and adopted by the original 13 colonies on July 4, 1776. 

A Few Fun Facts About Independence Day:

• Very few colonists wanted independence from Britain when the hostilities first broke out. These colonists were considered radicals in the beginning. Later, many of these radicals became our founding fathers. 
• Thomas Paine’s Common Sense helped to spread the fervor for independence from Britain. 
• A five-man committee was formed to draft a declaration for independence. These men were: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, and Robert R. Livingston. Although they worked as a committee, Thomas Jefferson wrote the bulk of the Declaration of Independence. 
• 50 years after the passing of the Declaration of Independence, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, founding fathers and Presidents of the United States, died within a few hours of each other.
• Adams and Jefferson were friends who had a feud that lasted for many years. In the last few years of their lives, they patched their friendship and kept in touch until the end. 

John Adams wrote to his wife that Independence day “will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival” and that the celebration should include “Pomp and Parade…Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other.”

As we celebrate this independence day, we remember the original meaning of this day that brings this fabulous holiday about and the men and women who have gone on to serve our great nation through the Armed Forces.

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.

~Elmer Davis~

Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness.

~Louis D. Brandeis~

America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination.

~Harry S. Truman~

O say can you see by the dawn’s early light

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight

O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air

Gave proof through 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

Before the song became the National Anthem, it had been one of the most popular songs in America. The music that the poem was set to, ironically, is from an English drinking song called “To Anacreon in Heaven.”  The tune was written around 1775 by John Stafford Smith and was an ode to the ancient Greek poet, Anacreon, who really loved wine. 

If you ever have a chance to visit Fort McHenry, I highly recommend it. There is so much history there, and you can walk through the fort, gaining a sense of what the soldiers there lived with on a daily basis. You can see the living quarters, the jail, some of the stores that were located within, and then look at the view across the Chesapeake Bay. 

The soldiers inside the fort managed to withstand around 25 hours of a constant barrage by the British ships in the Bay. When they hoisted the flag the next morning, the soldiers signaled their victory through the flag. The War of 1812 has been considered the second war of Independence in the United States. Before the cannonade, Washington D.C. had been invaded, and the White House burned to the ground, and other buildings in the area were set on fire as well.

Francis Scott Key was an American lawyer who had been working on securing the release of Dr. William Beanes, a civilian doctor who had been captured, for the week before the shelling began. Because they knew the British plans, and as part of the release terms, neither could return to land prior to the firing on Fort McHenry. 

There are four verses to the Star-Spangled Banner poem, but only one is truly known to this day, and that is the one that composes our national anthem today. You can learn more about the history of the Star-Spangled Banner here: http://bit.ly/3ppaBF3. 

Sometimes you may get an eye-roll, or a thank you for your support response. Veterans do not serve for our gratitude. They serve because they love their country. Our household is a dual veteran house, and there are many veterans in our immediate and adopted families. If you ask a veteran why they joined, you will get a myriad of answers, but almost always you will hear “I wanted to serve my country,” regardless of whether it was peacetime or not. 

The History of Veterans Day

“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 councils of the nations…” 

~President Woodrow Wilson~

Veteran’s Day actually started out as Armistice Day. The agreement to end World War I was final at 11 am, on November 11 1918. The War To End All Wars, World War I was thought to be the war that would end all others, with the hope that warfare would be done for all times. Sadly, we would see many more wars, and WWII was just going to be around the corner, signaling a new era for wars and conflicts. 

It was not until President Eisenhower, however, that Armistice Day became Veterans Day. With the large number of veterans from the second World War and Korea, there was more to think about than Armistice Day. In 1954, approval was given to make November 11 a National holiday, and on October 8, President Eisenhower issued a proclamation saying:

“In order to ensure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans’ organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.”

Today, we celebrate Veteran’s Day, and we remember and honor those who are serving and those who have served honorably in our nation’s military. We will never know them all, but we proudly support and honor them. 

To all our veterans, we thank you and honor you for your selfless service! 

It was not until 1915 that President Woodrow Wilson signed into law an act that merged the Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Life Saving Service, which gave the Revenue Marines their new name, the US COAST GUARD. They were now dedicated to saving lives at sea, and enforcing the maritime laws of the land. Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, they began to take charge of the Lighthouses along the coasts.

In 1967, they fell under the authority of the Department of Transportation, and then finally after the tragic events of 2001, they were transferred to the Department of Homeland Security.

For the members of the United States Coast Guard, we salute you and the often under-appreciated and overlooked work that you do you. We value you service to our nation and communities, as well as your continued service to maintaining law and order on coast lands and seas.

Here is what the Coast Guard can expect on any given day at work:

• Assist 192 people in distress
• Protect $2.8 million in property
• Interdict 14 illegal migrants at sea
• Conduct 109 search and rescue cases
• Seize $9.6 million worth of illegal drugs
• Educate 502 people in boating safety courses
• Respond to 20 oil and hazardous chemical spills
• Conduct 19 maritime security boardings