It's "Wheels Up" At AirVenture Oshkosh 2025

The Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) annual week-long AirVenture gathering in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is underway. It's better known as "Oshkosh" to aviation enthusiasts and you can be assured that every one of them has the event on their bucket list. There's good reason. Imagine a fly-in attracting around 7500 airplanes. Imagine 2500 aircraft exhibits, 800 commercial exhibitors, daily world-class airshows, and a total of around 700,000 guests.

AirVenture at Oshkosh is far from your average fly-in

Organizers call the event "the world's greatest aviation celebration" and this year marks its seventy-second edition. The map below gives readers an idea of the scope and scale of Oshkosh and indicates why the event turns a rather sleepy Wittman Regional Airport into the busiest airport in the world for one week each year.

AirVenture grounds - for scale, that's an 8000 foot runway at the top 

AirVenture grounds looking east to Lake Winnebago

I had the privilege of attending the event several times in the last decade of my career. Energizing, informative, and significant, the show was a great vehicle for delivering an organizational message to a large, captured, and enthusiastic audience. You may ask why the National Park Service (NPS) would send a dozen or so employees and volunteers to work an air show. First, the agency has almost fifty out of its more than 400 units with a significant link to an aviation theme. In addition, the Service maintains a fleet of fixed and rotary wing aircraft contributing over 20,000 hours of flight time annually in support of park operations, maintenance, and resource and fire management. Add to that interagency cooperation across departments as well as airspace regulation over the parks and the justification become clearer. In recent years the NPS's presence at the event has been reduced significantly and folded into a more cooperative effort with other federal agencies. In summation, it's a grand and demanding opportunity to reach out face-to- face with thousands of guests who enjoy and impact resources and services in and ver the parks.

Nothing like fly-in camping with thousands of your best - in this case closest - friends

If you can't attend AirVenture, the EAA maintains a comprehensive up-to-the-second website where you can spend hours reading, watching and listening to events. I've been looking up at the sound of an aircraft engine ever since I could lift my head. If you are blessed with the same response make your plans to attend an Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture. You will not be disappointed. Until then "wheels up" every chance you get!

The Battle Of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863: Of Endings and Beginnings

Today marks the conclusion of the Battle of Gettysburg, fought July 1-3, 1863, and the beginning of the end for the Confederate States of America. A year later, in August 1864, the Union unconditionally controlled the Mississippi River and relentlessly pressed Confederate forces in Virginia. In the Deep South, General Sherman's army devastated Atlanta. Six months later, he would be in Savannah and poised to destroy the remains of the Confederacy as he moved north through the Carolinas.

The American Civil War is a perennial topic in our history. Indeed, it did preserve the Union as President Abraham Lincoln intended and left us with any number of consequences in our national experience, both good and bad. Regarding those consequences, we should not expect otherwise as that is the way events unfold in the great wheel of history. And so it is with our great wheels of personal experience. Now in  my seventh decade immersed in all of this I'm a bit surprised and certainly privileged to experience Gettysburg at 100 and 150 years after the pivotal battle. The place is a personal holy ground because three people cared.

The Old Ranger and his dad at Gettysburg in 1954

First of all. my parents always loved being in nature and its historical overlay. Living in the Potomac River watershed afforded our family many opportunities to enjoy any number of places of national significance. As is often the case, first impressions become lasting ones. I was seven years old when we spent a long weekend exploring almost every foot of Gettysburg National Military Park. It was a fascinating experience and I still have the souvenirs to prove it. About six years later I met George Landis, the third person in this story. Landis taught middle school history and social studies on the eve of the Civil War Centennial. A Pennsylvanian with a love of history and basketball, he devoted an entire school year to the study of the Civil War. He was a superb teacher, highly animated and far ahead of his time. He focused on learning that took his students beyond lectures into the world of role-playing, performance, critical thinking and more. I recall fondly seeing every chalkboard in his classroom filled with detailed maps of battles, each carefully drawn and labelled with colored chalk. A little more than a decade after my year with Landis, I began a long and rewarding career immersed in experiential learning in the sacred places and histories in our national parks.

The Old Ranger and his mom at Gettysburg in 1954

There will be tens of thousands of people visiting Gettysburg this holiday week as well as many thousands of volunteers recreating and commemorating the events that took place there. Lasting impressions will be made this week about the sacrifice, the consequences, and the wheels of history both national and personal. And somewhere in that crowd will be a seven year-old with a new enthusiasm for a defining moment in our national experience. The commemorative landscape at Gettysburg will wait with pride and serenity like an old veteran to welcome him on his return visit in 2063.

Flag Day 2025 And The United States Army's 250th Birthday

Today is Flag Day, a day for commemorating the adoption of a design by Francis Hopkinson as the official Flag of the United States on this date in 1777. President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation in 1919 declaring June 14 as the official day.

Francis Hopkinson Flag, 1777

Here are some words about the Hopkinson flag from the link above:

Hopkinson is recognized as the designer of the official "first flag" of the United States. Although he sought compensation from Congress, the letter was somewhat comical. He asked for a quarter cask of wine in payment for the flag, the Great Seal, and various other contributions. Congress used the usual bureaucratic tactics of asking for an itemized bill. After some back and forth, Congress eventually refused on the pretext that Hopkinson was already paid as a public servant. The letter also mentioned that Hopkinson collaborated with others on his designs because he was one of many contributing to the Great Seal.

While there is no known Hopkinson flag in existence today, we do know from his rough sketch that it had thirteen stars and thirteen stripes. It is believed that his flag used red and white stripes and white stars on a field of blue. Because the original stars used in the Great Seal had six points, we might also assume that Hopkinson's flag intended the use of a 6-pointed star. This is bolstered by his original sketch that showed asterisks with six points.

The legend of Betsy Ross as the designer of the first flag entered into American consciousness about the time of the 1876 centennial celebrations. See Betsy Ross Flag for the full story. Today many Americans still cling to the legend that she designed the first flag with it's familiar circle of thirteen stars, At the same time most are unaware of Hopkinson's legacy.

There are any number of songs written about our national flag. Among the best of them is George M. Cohan's 1906 rouser, You're A Grand Old Rag, written in 1906 for his musical, George Washington, Jr. Here it is performed by Billy Murray, the best selling recording artist of the earthy 20th century.

That's right, you read and heard "rag" instead of "flag". Cohen wrote the song inspired by a Civil War veteran clutching a tattered US flag he referred to as a grand old rag. Although the song was an immediate success many individuals and patriotic groups were uncomfortable with "rag" referring to such a sacred symbol. Eager to please his audience, Cohan soon published a revision with new words and a new title, You're A Grand Old Flag. 

And while you admire the Grand Old Flag remember that today is the 250th birthday of the United States Army. These words from the America250 webpage say it all:

On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress voted to establish the Continental Army. This action marked the creation of America’s first national military force, more than a year before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

For 250 years, the United States Army has played a vital role in defending America. From the Revolutionary War to the present day, Americans have served selflessly–many sacrificing their lives–in defense of the country. Our service members’ courage, loyalty, and dedication have inspired generations. At the same time, Army-led innovations and breakthroughs–from radar and the internet to everyday items like wireless communications–have advanced our national security, transformed global commerce, and propelled America’s economic competitiveness.

Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
Hopkinson Flag, public domain image, Wikimedia.org
America250.org

Text:
Francis Hopkinson, entry, Wikipedia.org
"You're A Grand Old Flag," entry, Wikipedia.org

D-Day: It Was The Largest Amphibious Invasion In History

 

Into The Jaws Of Death, US Troops Wading Through Water And Nazi Gunfire

Eighty years ago on June 6, 1944, 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end on June 6 the Allies gained a foothold in Normandy. The cost was high - more than 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded - but more than 100,000 soldiers began the march across Europe to defeat Hitler.

We don't teach history much these days. If students simply learned that "more than 100,000 soldiers began the march across Europe to defeat Hitler" and his National Socialist movement, I would be somewhat pleased. I'd also like every student to know that 16 million Americans served during World War II. About 66143 are still alive. Last year that number was 119550.D-Da In a short time all of these eyewitnesses to history will be gone. There will be no one to thank, no one to question. Only our memories will survive.

For more on the significance of this day link to the U.S. Army D-Day Page.

A portion of 9388 interments at Normandy American Cemetery adjacent Omaha Beach

Sources

Photos and Illustrations:photo, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Public Domain Photographs, 1882-1962

map, Department of History, United States Military Academy

Text:

U.S. Army D-Day Page

statistics, U.S. Army D-Day Page

Memorial Day 2025

Many of us grew up knowing this day as Decoration Day but now it is best known as Memorial Day. Though both its date and scope have changed over time its central meaning remains strong. At virtually every crossroad town from sea to sea, there will be old soldiers, flags, a speech or two, and prayers. These events will take place at memorial walls bearing the names of the honored dead. Invariably, the audiences will be small, but firmly dedicated to the idea that the nation will always remember the cost of freedom.

This is a day of mixed emotion as we honor men and women who made the supreme sacrifice in service to their country. They gave their lives that we might live out our own in an experiment of community called the United States. As we enjoy the holiday we will take some moments today to think of these honored men and women and what they have given us and our families.

Here in words and images, the contemplative moments continue...

From the silence of sorrowful hours,

The desolate mourners go,

Lovingly laden with flowers,

Alike for the friend and the foe:

Under the sod and the dew,

Waiting the judgment day.

Under the roses the Blue,

Under the lilies the Gray

A Soldier's Burial

by General George S. Patton (1943)

Not midst the chanting of the Requiem Hymn,

Nor with the solemn ritual of prayer,

Neath misty shadows from the oriel glass,

And dreamy perfume of the incensed air

Was he interred;

But in the subtle stillness after fight,

And the half light between the night and the day,

We dragged his body all besmeared with mud,

And dropped it, clod-like, back into the clay.

Yet who shall say that he was not content,

Or missed the prayers, or drone of chanting choir,

He who had heard all day the Battle Hymn

Sung on all sides by a thousand throats of fire.

What painted glass can lovelier shadows cast,

Than those the evening sky shall ever shed,

While, mingled with their light, Red Battle's Sun

Completes in magic colors o'er our dead,

The flag for which they died.

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2024

Today marks the 83rd anniversary of the Imperial Japanese Navy's attack on the U.S. Navy's base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Below is Pearl Harbor as it appeared on October 30, 1941.

Below is a photo taken by a Japanese pilot 38 days later on December 7 during the torpedo attack on Battleship Row visible on the far side of Ford Island.

There were almost 4000 casualties that day including 2400 dead.

The attack led to a war effort that included 16,000,000 American men and women in uniform. The Department of Veterans Affairs reports that around 66,000 of these veterans survive. Soon, the relics, memorials and ceremony will be all that is left to testify to America's greatest generation at war. If we are to survive, we need to remember them now and in the future for what they did to crush evil in the world.

USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 2004


Today the youngest of the sixteen surviving veteran of Pearl Harbor would be 100 years old. Many of them can no longer travel and according to officials only two will attend the ceremony along with perhaps thirty World War II veterans.

Winston Churchill: Born On This Day 150 Years Ago

Today is 150th anniversary of the birth of the great British statesman, Winston Churchill. The 19th century American literary icon, Ralph Waldo Emerson, said "there is properly no history, only biography." You'll get some argument about that statement these days. On the other hand, in the last century and a half there is Churchill. I think we would be hard-pressed to find a better illustration of history as biography in that time frame.

Churchill with his son and grandson in 1953

From his Wikipedia entry:

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill KG OM CH TD DLFRS RA (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, a superb writer (as Winston S. Churchill), and an artist. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature, and was the first person to be made an honorary citizen of the United States.

The Lion at 10 Downing Street in London, 1940

Churchill in 1895

For more on information on Winston Churchill go here. And, thanks to Steven Hayward at Powerline, here is a teachable moment from the renowned political philosopher, Leo Strauss, on hearing of Churchill's death in 1965. In addition, we cannot forget Churchill as a historian. He was both an extraordinary observer and compelling writer. New readers should start their journey with My Early Life: A Roving Commission, first published in 1930. I have a feeling it will not be their last volume by Churchill.

Churchill was a master of the English language but even he struggled for the right words to both describe the reality his countrymen faced at the hands of Luftwaffe bombers during the the Blitz of 1940 and 1941 as well as rally them to endure what he knew would be their darkest hour:

The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be freed and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new dark age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour.

For seventy years, he served the people of Great Britain and the colonies from the role of soldier to that of statesman. Aside from the monarchy, especially the reign of Elizabeth II, there is arguably no other indivudual in the modern era who personifies England and its people more than Winston Churchill.

Sources


Photos and Illustrations:
public domain photos, Imperial War Museums

The United States Marine: Celebrating 249 Years Today

On this day in 1775 the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Marines in Philadelphia. The unit would later be designated the United States Marine Corps. The USMC has served in every American armed conflict. Today the Department of Defence maintains a force of about 200,000 active and reserve marines.

Marines' Hymn

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 every 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 guarded

By United States Marines.

A big thanks and best wishes to all Marines as they gather to celebrate the traditions and history of the Corps at Birthday Balls around the world.

Black Tot Day: The Day Rum Rations Died

We all know water is essential to life. At the same time we have to keep in mind that it can also sustain deadly diseases including typhoid, cholera, giardia, dysentery, e. coli, hepatitis, and salmonella. It wasn't until the late 19th century that science really began to understand diseases, their vectors, and methods of control and prevention. It's no wonder that the fermentation of beer was an early cultural practice in human history around the world. Beer was reliably safer than water. It traveled better, lasted longer, and had some medicinal properties as well. The magic molecule was alcohol.

By the 15th century and the burgeoning age of distant empires it was already apparent that ships full of soldiers and sailors needed to carry water. Unfortunately it didn't last more than a few weeks in a barrel or ceramic container under a hot tropical sun. Beer wasn't much better, nor was wine, but rum was almost perfect as a cheap, plentiful, and long-lasting alternative. In 1650, the Royal Navy introduced the tot ration, a daily amount of rum for every sailor. It was a welcome offering for crews whose work was brutal, dangerous, and little more than enslavement for those pressed into service. The practice of the rum (or tot) ration and its benefits and liabilities became an essential part of Royal Navy life. Despite a growing temperance movement in the 1870s and the increasing complexity of tasks, the practice continued until the last piping of "Up Spirits" on July 31, 1970. That day is remembered as Black Tot Day. The practice ended in Canada in 1972 and in New Zealand in 1990. Here is the story of the rum ration and its iterations throughout its more than 300 year history.

Splicing the main brace with the Royal Navy

The end of the rum ration had an enormous impact on producers in the British Empire and its territories, particularly in the Carribean. Many distillers had an association with the ration for centuries. It was a tough decision to put aside such a long tradition but all was not lost. The rum stocks were auctioned and warehoused by the new owner in Gibralter. From there, he supplied select Royal Navy vessels, Royal Air Force and Army messes, and even a few choice bars with the treasured rum. In 1979 Charles Tobias secured the rights to the original Admiralty recipe and founded Pusser's Rum, named after the Ship's Purser who oversaw its daily distribution to sailors. Here's more on the Pusser story.

The American military experience with rum closely resembles that of the Royal Navy. History tells us that both the Contiental Army and Navy had a daily rum ration. The U.S. Navy ration lasted until 1862 when temperance sentiment prevailed in Congress and the practice was abolished. The law took effect on September 1. Here is an air sung in the ward room of an unknown U.S. vessel on August 31.

Farewell To Grog

Come, messmates, pass the bottle ‘round

Our time is short, remember,

For our grog must stop and our spirits drop

On the first day of September.

Jack’s happy days will soon be gone,

To return again oh! Never,

For they’ve raised his pay five cents a day

But stopped his grog forever.

Farewell, old rye, ‘tis a sad, sad word,

But alas! It must be spoken,

The ruby cup must be given up

And the demijohn be broken.

Yet memory oft will backward turn

And dwell with fondness partial,

On the days when gin was not a sin

Nor cocktails brought courts martial.

All hands to splice the main brace call,

But splice it now in sorrow,

For the spirit-room key will be laid away

Forever on to-morrow.

"Splice the main brace" was the common response to the sound of "Up Spirits" on the bosun's pipe.


It would be fitting tonight to pour an ounce or two of rum - obviously Pusser's if you have it - and add twice the amount of water to make a grog, then find your most comfortable chair, sit back, and enjoy your tot while thinking about a great British naval tradition and the day it came to a sad end.





Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
thehistoryproject.co.uk

Text:
Wikipedia
Imbibe!, David Wonderich, Tarcher Perigee, 2015
Naval History and Heritage Command, Navy Department Library
Pusser's Rum

EAA AirVenture 2024 At Oshkosh

Today is Day 2 of the Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) annual week-long AirVenture gathering in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It's better known as "Oshkosh" to aviation enthusiasts and you can be assured that every one of them has the event on their bucket list. There's good reason. Imagine a fly-in attracting around 7500 airplanes. Imagine 2500 aircraft exhibits, 800 commercial exhibitors, daily world-class airshows, and a total of over 600,000 guests.

It's far from your average fly-in

Organizers call the event "the world's greatest aviation celebration" and this year marks its 71st edition. The map below gives readers an idea of the scope and scale of Oshkosh and indicates why the event turns a rather sleepy Wittman Regional Airport into the busiest airport in the world for one week each year.

AirVenture grounds - for scale, that's an 8000 foot runway at the top

I had the privilege of attending the event several times in the last decade of my career. Energizing, informative, and significant, the show was a great vehicle for delivering an organizational message to a large, captured, and enthusiastic audience. You may ask why the National Park Service (NPS) would send a dozen or so employees and volunteers to work an air show. First, the agency has almost fifty out of its more than 400 units with a significant link to an aviation theme. In addition, the Service maintains a fleet of fixed and rotary wing aircraft contributing over 20,000 hours of flight time annually in support of park operations, maintenance, and resource and fire management. Add to that interagency cooperation across departments as well as airspace regulation over the parks and the justification become clearer. In recent years the NPS's presence at the event has been reduced significantly and folded into a more cooperative effort with other federal agencies. In summation, it's a grand and demanding opportunity to reach out face-to- face with thousands of guests who enjoy and impact agency resources and services.

Nothing like fly-in camping with thousands of your best - in this case closest - friends

If you can't attend AirVenture, the EAA maintains a comprehensive up-to-the-second website where you can spend hours reading, watching and listening to events. I've been looking up at the sound of an aircraft engine ever since I could lift my head. If you are blessed with the same response make your plans to attend an Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture. You will not be disappointed. Until then "wheels up" every chance you get!

D-Day: The Cost Of Freedom

 

Into The Jaws Of Death, US Troops Wading Through Water And Nazi Gunfire

Eighty years ago on June 6, 1944, 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end on June 6 the Allies gained a foothold in Normandy. The cost was high - more than 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded - but more than 100,000 soldiers began the march across Europe to defeat Hitler.

We don't teach history much these days. If students simply learned that "more than 100,000 soldiers began the march across Europe to defeat Hitler" and his National Socialist movement, I would be somewhat pleased. I'd also like every student to know that 16 million Americans served during World War II. About 119,550 are still alive. About 110,000 die each year. In a short time all of these eyewitnesses to history will be gone. There will be no one to thank, no one to question. Only our memories will survive.

For more on the significance of this day link to the U.S. Army D-Day Page.

View of a portion of 9388 interments at Normandy American Cemetery adjacent Omaha Beach

Sources

Photos and Illustrations:photo, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Public Domain Photographs, 1882-1962

map, Department of History, United States Military Academy

Text:
U.S. Army D-Day Page

statistics, U.S. Army D-Day Page

Memorial Day 2024

Many of us grew up knowing this day as Decoration Day but now it is best known as Memorial Day. Though both its date and scope have changed over time its central meaning remains strong. At virtually every crossroad town from sea to sea, there will be old soldiers, flags, a speech or two, and prayers. These events will take place at memorial walls bearing the names of the honored dead. Invariably, the audiences will be small, but firmly dedicated to the idea that the nation will always remember the cost of freedom.

This is a day of mixed emotion as we honor men and women who made the supreme sacrifice in service to their country. They gave their lives that we might live out our own in an experiment of community called the United States. As we enjoy the holiday we will take some moments today to think of these honored men and women and what they have given us and our families.

Here in words and images, the contemplative moments continue...

From the silence of sorrowful hours,

The desolate mourners go,

Lovingly laden with flowers,

Alike for the friend and the foe:

Under the sod and the dew,

Waiting the judgment day.

Under the roses the Blue,

Under the lilies the Gray

A Soldier's Burial

by General George S. Patton (1943)

Not midst the chanting of the Requiem Hymn,

Nor with the solemn ritual of prayer,

Neath misty shadows from the oriel glass,

And dreamy perfume of the incensed air

Was he interred;

But in the subtle stillness after fight,

And the half light between the night and the day,

We dragged his body all besmeared with mud,

And dropped it, clod-like, back into the clay.

Yet who shall say that he was not content,

Or missed the prayers, or drone of chanting choir,

He who had heard all day the Battle Hymn

Sung on all sides by a thousand throats of fire.

What painted glass can lovelier shadows cast,

Than those the evening sky shall ever shed,

While, mingled with their light, Red Battle's Sun

Completes in magic colors o'er our dead,

The flag for which they died.

Memorial Day Weekend 2024

In the American composer Charles Ives's time (1874-1954) the holiday we celebrate on Monday was known as Decoration Day. It was a time to remember men and women in uniform who died in service to their country. Today, we call it Memorial Day and, though both its date and scope have changed over time, its central meaning remains strong. At virtually every crossroad town from sea to sea, there will be old soldiers, flags, a speech or two, and prayers. These events will take place at memorial walls bearing the names of the honored dead. Invariably, the audiences will be small, but firmly dedicated to the idea that the nation will always remember the cost of freedom.

Ives captures much of the historic character of this day in his composition, Holiday Symphony, Section II, "Decoration Day." The piece has a number of familiar tunes but you may not recognize them without a guide. Like the holiday itself, Ives give us rich, complex, and contemplative moments in time and space.

I hope you experience Decoration/Memorial Day to its fullest, that is, with remembrance and celebration.

St. George's Day 2024

Today is St. George's Day, a festival day in much of the Christian world and in many places, including England, where St. George is recognized as a patron saint. We're happy to acknowledge his connection to England by flying the St. George's Cross - the flag of England - a dominant element in Great Britain's Union flag.

We know little about St. George's life other than his Greek origin, service in the Praetorian Guards under the Roman emperor Diocletian, and martyrdom for his Christian faith. Safe to say, he never set foot in England and his battle with any dragon remains legendary but his place as one of the most venerated saints in Christianity goes without question. In terms of his connection with England we must return to the time of the crusades and the veneration of George as a warrior for the faith. Over the centuries his association with military units and memorial organizations grew large as England took its place in the Age of Empire. Although that age has passed and England now shares it identity of sorts in the United Kingdom, St. George and England remain inseparable.

The finest expression of this fabric of faith, martyrdom, and love of country was heard across England as part of today's celebration, It comes from William Blake's Preface to Milton. 

Preface to Milton from Blake's illuminated version, 1804

In a fitting conclusion for our St. George commemoration I present a rousing song from the Empire period that has survived to become a great symbol of British patriotism and pride. From Last Night at the Proms 2009, it is Rule Britainnia. sung by Dame Susan Connoly.

Rule Britainnia (Complete lyrics)


When Britain first, at heaven's command,
Arose from out the azure main,
This was the charter of the land,
And Guardian Angels sang this strain:

(Chorus) Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves!
Britons never, never, never will be slaves.

The nations not so blest as thee
Must, in their turn, to tyrants fall,
While thou shalt flourish great and free:
The dread and envy of them all.

(Chorus)

Still more majestic shalt thou rise,
More dreadful from each foreign stroke,
As the loud blast that tears the skies
Serves but to root thy native oak.

(Chorus)

Thee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame;
All their attempts to bend thee down
Will but arouse thy generous flame,
But work their woe and thy renown.

(Chorus)

To thee belongs the rural reign;
Thy cities shall with commerce shine;
All thine shall be the subject main,
And every shore it circles, thine.

(Chorus)

The Muses, still with freedom found,
Shall to thy happy coasts repair.
Blest isle! with matchless beauty crowned,
And manly hearts to guard the fair.

(Chorus)

Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves!
Britons never, never, never will be slaves.

Sources

Text:

classicfm.com

Photos and Illustrations:
Family archives
Preface to Milton, public domain, wikipedia.com

At Pearl Harbor 82 Years Ago

Today marks the 82nd anniversary of the Imperial Japanese Navy's attack on the U.S. Navy's base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Below is Pearl Harbor as it appeared on October 30, 1941.

Below is a photo taken by a Japanese pilot 38 days later on December 7 during the torpedo attack on Battleship Row visible on the far side of Ford Island.

There were almost 4000 casualties that day including 2400 dead.

The attack led to a war effort that included 16,000,000 American men and women in uniform. The National WWII Museum in New Orleans reports that only 119,500 of these veterans survive. Soon, the relics, memorials and ceremony will be all that is left to testify to America's greatest generation at war. If we are to survive, we need to remember them now and in the future for what they did to crush evil in the world.

USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 2004

Today the youngest surviving veteran of Pearl Harbor would be 99 years old. Many of them can no longer travel and according to the officials only one or two will attend the ceremony along with perhaps thirty World War II veterans.

A Holiday Punch From Old Savannah

It's that time of year again. Thanksgiving is but a week away and quickly followed by the holiday party triad of Christmas, New Year's, and Twelfth Night. It's never too early to think about a menu. If you think about serving a punch and want something really special this post is for you. Long-time readers know one of my favorite preparations for these occasions is Savannah's very own concoction known as Chatham Artillery Punch. In 1977, I was introduced to it at the Lion's Den in the DeSoto Hilton - now the DeSoto Hotel - in Savannah. If you assemble your batch this week it should be tasty even for Thanksgiving and perfect for sharing on December 4 when artillerymen honor their patron saint, Barbara. In the weeks following Saint Barbara"s Day the punch mellows into a smooth and even more delicious and potent beverage.

Chatham Artillery Punch is a drink to be enjoyed responsibly in an appropriate setting. Keep in mind the longer it ferments, the more powerful, deceptive and tasty it becomes. If made this week, by Christmas it should be legendary. There is a point - say after two months - at which it becomes a lightly fruited rumtopf perfect for topping ice cream or bundt. I suspect however that using it in Old Savannah as something other than a beverage would be a sacrilege.

In the past I've posted a recipe for 50 servings but this year it's reduced by half for two reasons. First, it's an expensive endeavor, and, second, a small cup can be enjoyed for a long time. The origin of today's recipe is lost to history but the assemblage of scattered notes over the decades - like the spirits themselves - produces a deliciously potent punch. A Georgia National Guard newsletter noted that a pair of soldier's socks, the stockings of a soldier's wife, and sand from Iraq were added to the punch in 2006. We're not going that far. On the other hand I will say that quality ingredients make a quality product.

Chatham Artillery Punch

Yield: 25 servings

1 quart strong green tea (soak about 1/4 pound of tea for a day, then strain)

Juice 5 lemons

10 ounces brown sugar

1 quart Catawba wine (a muscadine wine may be easier to find, Georgia's Chateau Elan Muscadine is a fine choice)

1 quart Santa Cruz rum (Pusser's Rum Blue Label recommended)

1 pint brandy

1 pint dry gin (I like the flavorings in Bombay Sapphire)

1 pint rye whiskey (Bulleit 95 Rye Small Batch is a perfect choice)

1.5 pints Queen Anne cherries

1.5 pints pineapple chunks

1.5 quarts champagne

To prepare, sterilize a crock or similar vessel. Mix the tea and lemon juice, then dissolve the brown sugar and gently stir in all the alcohol except the champagne. Add the cherries and pineapple chunks carefully. Cover the crock tightly and sit aside in a cool, dark place for at least one week - a month is better. Careful sampling is permitted to insure the fermentation process is working as planned. To serve, pour the mixture carefully over a block of ice, add the champagne, stir gently, and serve immediately. IMPORTANT: Never refrigerate to cool ahead of serving or serve with ice cubes.

Enjoy!

Distinctive Unit Insignia of the Chatham Artillery

The Chatham Artillery survives today as Battery B, 1st How. Battalion, 118th Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 48th Armored Division Artillery, Georgia National Guard. The regiment traces its roots to 1751 and the 118th Field Artillery, Georgia Militia. Their latest deployment was to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2009.

Regardless of what's in your cup on the evening of December 4, remember the men and women of the Chatham Artillery at their annual banquet in Savannah. Raise your cup to their nearly 250 years of service and remember their motto: "He does not know how to give up."

Over the coming holiday triad mentioned earlier know that your time, expense and anticipation will be rewarded as you and your guests enjoy this great Savannah tradition. I once brewed a batch for eight weeks. It was legendary. Almost fifty years later people still talk about it.