Veteran’s Corner

Jason Hicks | Commander United Patriotic bodies
Fargo Memorial Honor Guard

As a student of military history, I am often drawn to specific dates and anniversaries. Just as important of the victories are they defeats. We learn from our mistakes and try not to let history repeat itself.
The summer of 1876 was an interesting time in American history. The 100 year anniversary of the declaration of independence was upon us, we were recovering from a war that tore the country apart and we needed to rebuild. Our westward expansion was happening, it was our “manifest destiny”.
On the Dakota plains, a young cavalry officer was determined to make a name for himself as an “Indian fighter” and was hoping a decisive victory would secure his nomination as the democrat pick for the presidential election.
George Armstrong Custer was an American hero, whether people like to acknowledge or not his battlefield heroics during the civil war are undisputed. While it is also true that he graduated last in his class at West Point military academy, he also rose from the rank of Lieutenant to two-star general in a matter of 4 years. He was decisive, aggressive and tactically brilliant, many military colleagues called it “Custers luck” whatever it was it was a force to be reckoned with. Post civil war downsizing also reduced Custers rank, General to Lieutenant Colonel you see with a smaller Army so many generals were not needed. “Peace time” was difficult for Custer, he went awol and was suspended without pay for almost a year his adversarial relationship with President Grant didn’t help matters.
So Custer went to Washington DC to garner support from the Democrat party, hoping to secure the party’s nomination, Custer knew he could use his fame and reputation but needed a bump. You see at the time he was a media darling and national hero.
We know what happened at the Little Big Horn, “Custers luck” ran out and he and over two hundred of his men died and were horribly mutilated. The nation was in shock, they had lost a national hero and a front runner for nomination for President of the democratic party.
But as with any adversity in our history we came out stronger. But imagine what could of happened had “Custers luck” not run out.