veteran’s corner
Hi to everyone back in Moorhead. Les Bakke, here as I was asked to do a ‘guest column’. Sweetie Bev and I are enjoying the good life in southern Arizona where ‘you don’t have to shovel sunshine’. I am still doing volunteer work and this afternoon I did a presentation on the WWI Christmas Truce to residents of a retirement home in our community. Yes, the average age is about 73 years old. As is my habit, I did some research on military events that happened on or near Christmas and found some.
We all remember the painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware river during the Revolutionary War. You know, the one with Washington standing in the boat. Well, it happened on Christmas day Washington believed that the British would be celebrating Christmas and wouldn’t expect an attack. He was correct when he attacked Trenton, surprising the British who surrendered within an hour and a half.
During our country’s Civil War, Union commanders decided to attack Fort Fisher in North Carolina. It was the last port the Confederates held on the Atlantic Ocean. First the Union forces tried to sail a ship loaded with explosives into the fort, it failed. Second, the Union tried bombarding the fort which fell short. Third, on Christmas morning, the Union decided to shell the area near the fort, giving Union troops an area to land. They missed. Finally in mid-January, Union troops finally captured the fort, cutting off the Confederate states from global trade.
During the Vietnam War, President Nixon ordered a bombing campaign after the Vietnamese walked out of peace talks. Nicknamed the “11 Days of Christmas”, the campaign consisted of 11 days of bombing by B-52 bombers from Guam. The only break occurred at Christmas when troops were given a 36-hour break to celebrate. The Paris Peace Accords occurred shortly thereafter, ending the Vietnam War.
On Christmas Day 1896 while returning from a European vacation, John Philip Sousa, who served as director of the U.S. Marine Band wrote the notes for “Stars and Stripes Forever” with fond memories of his Marine days. The song officially became our nation’s national march in 1987. So, this holiday season, while you’re enjoying family, friends and feasts, think of some of your fellow troops, past and present, who had to forgo their holidays for the greater good of the country. While you’re at it, you might even want to put on “Stars and Stripes Forever” in their honor.
