Honor Thy Veteran
A number of folks have written about Veteran's Day today. As a former soldier, I'd like to say thanks to all who have expressed their gratitude to the many servicemembers who have blessed our great nation. It was my great honor and privilege to serve my country and I am forever grateful for those who came before and gave me that opportunity and those who came after to maintain it.
I am on a list-serve of sorts for politics and media back in my homestate of Arkansas. Today, we received a single email without the usual sniping back and forth. It is better than most anything I could have written today, so I am simply re-producing it here. You will learn of the famous Audie Murphy, David O. Dodd, an Arkansan who is remembered as the 'Boy Martyr of the Confedracy, the origin of the phrase 'Old Glory,' a memoriam of Bob Hope, and a letter from a young woman that describes the first burial at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
A NOTE FROM LT. COL. N. D. DARK (Bullwhiz Commander in Chief)
We, here today remember all that served our country in the wars of our
country. That country consists of you and me, just folks, many of who
served in the military. The results are evident today as we face new
threats and new resolves. Our Constitution will continue to serve us,
because many fought and many died to make it so.
During the discussions that we have here, many of you share what you did in
the military. Yes, we talk about our brothers and sisters who were under
fire, but many of us served in support positions. Some made sure that all
the machines worked, some listened to the enemy's radio transmissions, some
made sure that we received our pay, some fixed us when we were hurt, some
transported fuel for the mechanized cavalry, and yes some served in the
Judge Advocate General Corps. This is not a day to point a finger - but
instead a day to remember who we are.
Our hope would be that we could face this coming century with greater
resolve to bring freedom to all and bring an end to hate. Perhaps someday
to celebrate each of our heritages without dispersion and encourage the
history and achievement from Jamestown to this present era. Together as
one; to the honor, glory, and memory of our fathers who fought for the cause.
Some have referred to the current war on terrorism as the first war of the
21ST Century. I would again submit that our job should be to make this the
LAST war of the 21ST Century. Now in this time of heroes, let us remember a
few.
LEST WE FORGET
A HERO FROM TEXAS RIDES A TALL HORSE IN WWII
Audie Murphy
He wanted to join the Marines, but he was too short. The paratroopers
wouldn't have him either. Reluctantly, he settled on the infantry,
enlisting to become nothing less than one of the most-decorated heroes of
World War II. He was Audie Murphy, the baby-faced Texas farmboy who became
an American Legend. Murphy grew up on a sharecropper's farm in Hunt County,
Texas. Left at a very young age to help raise 10 brothers and sisters when
his father deserted their mother, Audie was only 16 when his mother died.
He watched as his brothers and sisters were doled out to an orphanage or to
relatives.
Seeking an escape from that life in 1942, he looked to the Marines. War had
just been declared and, like so many other young men, Murphy lied about his
age in his attempt to enlist. but it was not his age that kept him out of
the Marines; it was his size. Not tall enough to meet the minimum
requirements, he tried to enlist in the paratroopers, but again was denied
entrance. Despondent, he chose the infantry.
Following basic training Murphy was assigned to the 15th Regiment, 3rd
Infantry Division in North Africa preparing to invade Sicily. It was there
in 1943 that he first saw combat, proving himself to be a proficient
marksman and highly skilled soldier, consistently his performance
demonstrated how well he understood the techniques of small-unit action. He
landed at Salerno to fight in the Voltuno river campaign and then at Anzio
to be part of the Allied force that fought its way to Rome. Throughout
these campaigns, Murphy's skills earned him advancements in rank, because
many of his superior officers were being transferred, wounded or killed.
After the capture of Rome, Murphy earned his first decoration for gallantry.
Shortly thereafter his unit was withdrawn from Italy to train for Operation
Anvil-Dragoon, the invasion of southern France. During seven weeks of
fighting in that successful campaign, Murphy's division suffered 4,500
casualties, and he became one of the most decorated men in his company. But
his biggest test was yet to come.
On Jan. 26, 1945, near the village of Holtzwihr in eastern France, Lt.
Murphy's forward positions came under fierce attack by the Germans. Against
the onslaught of six Panzer tanks and 250 infantrymen, Murphy ordered his
men to fall back to better their defenses. Alone, he mounted an abandoned
burning tank destroyer and, with a single machine gun, contested the
enemy's advance. Wounded in the leg during the heavy fire, Murphy remained
there for nearly an hour, repelling the attack of German soldiers on three
side and single-handedly killing 50 of them. His courageous performance
stalled the German advance and allowed him to lead his men in the
counterattack which ultimately drove the enemy from Holtzwihr. For this
Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for
gallantry in action.
By the war's end, Murphy had become the nation's most-decorated soldier,
earning an unparalleled 28 medals, including three from France and one from
Belgium. Murphy had been wounded three times during the war, yet, in May
1945, when victory was declared in Europe, he had still not reached his
21st birthday.
Audie Murphy returned to a hero's welcome in the United States. His
photograph appeared on the cover of Life magazine and he was persuaded by
actor James Cagney to embark on an acting career. Still very shy and
unassuming, Murphy arrived in Hollywood with only his good looks and - by
his own account - "no talent." Nevertheless, he went on to make more than
40 films. His first part was just a small one in Beyond Glory in 1948. The
following year he published his wartime memoirs, To Hell and Back, which
received good reviews. Later he portrayed himself in the 1955 movie version
of the book. Many film critics, however, believe his best performance was
in Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane's Civil War epic.
After nearly 20 years he retired from acting and started a career in
private business. But the venture was unsuccessful, eventually forcing him
into bankruptcy in 1968. Murphy, who once said that he could only sleep
with a loaded pistol under his pillow, was haunted by nightmares of his
wartime experiences throughout his adult life. In 1971, at the age of 46,
he died in the crash of a private plane near Roanoke, Va.
Audie Murphy is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, just across Memorial
Drive from the Memorial Amphitheater. A special flagstone walkway has been
constructed to accommodate the large number of people who stop to pay their
respects to this hero. At the end of a row of graves, his tomb is marked by
a simple, white, government-issue tombstone, which lists only a few of his
many military decorations. The stone is, as he was, too small.
ARKANSAS' BOY HERO OF THE CONFEDERACY
The David O. Dodd Story
David Owen Dodd was born in Victoria, Victoria County, Texas, November 10,
1846. When David was 10 years old, the family returned to Arkansas and
settled in the environs of Benton. It was there that David attended school
for the first time. His sister Senhora was sent to Little Rock to live with
her aunt, Mrs. Susan A. Dodd, and to attend school in the capital city. In
the fall of 1861, the Dodds moved to Little Rock to be closer to Senhora,
and David transferred to St. John's College, out beyond the arsenal, where,
ironically, he was to die two years later. At age 17 in 1863, he was a
dark-haired boy of slight build and a winning personality.
In 1863 David had returned to Little Rock from Vicksburg, took a job
clerking in a Main Street store (perhaps the mercantile establishment of
Alderman Henry). There being no mail service at this point in the war,
three months passed without Andrew Dodd receiving any news from his wife,
his son or his daughter. So the husband-father crossed the Mississippi,
traveled north through Confederate Arkansas and sneaked through Union lines
at night. Reunited with his family, Dodd immediately arranged through
friends and relatives to have a wagon waiting for the family beyond Union
lines south of Little Rock, and on December 1, 1863, under the cover of
darkness, the father, mother, son and daughter traveled cross-country
toward Benton.
A week later, the Dodds arrived in Camden, and a curious thing happened.
Mr. Dodd went to the headquarters of Confederate General James F. Fagan and
obtained a pass for David to return to Little Rock, ostensibly to wind up
some family business. David subsequently admitted that he delivered letters
to several of his acquaintances on his re-arrival in the city.
David moved in with his aunt, Mrs. Susan Dodd, and for the next couple of
weeks he was a popular figure with the city's younger set, especially the
girls. There were, after all, very few teenaged boys left in Little Rock,
except for some of the Union soldiers. David even became popular with some
of the younger servicemen stationed at the arsenal, especially because he
usually was accompanied by a local girl or two.
On December 28, 1863, David visited the Provost Marshal's office at St.
John's College (several hundred yards southeast of the arsenal) and had no
trouble obtaining a pass through Union lines to rejoin his family in Camden.
He headed out the Benton Road, riding a mule, showing his pass to Union
sentries at the city line and again at a point eight miles from Little
Rock, where the outpost sentry tore up the pass, explaining to David that
he would have no further need for it because he was entering Confederate
territory.
A short way farther on, David detoured to spend the night with his uncle,
Washington Dodd, who had lived in the area for years. He obtained some
pocket money and a handgun from his uncle, and the next morning, December
30, he resumed his trip south. He took a crosslots route back to the Benton
Road, instead of returning the way he had come to his uncle's house, and
this proved to be a fatal mistake. Had he followed his earlier route, David
would have stayed in Confederate territory. But his cross-country course
took him back through an area controlled by the Union, and it was there he
encountered a foraging party of Union cavalrymen.
Challenged by these horsemen, who demanded to see a pass or other
identification, David tried to explain how his pass had been destroyed the
previous evening by the last Union sentry he met. But the foragers were not
convinced. They forced the boy to ride his mule alongside them as they led
him back to the sentry post. As it happened, the sentry who tore up David's
pass was no longer on duty. So the cavalrymen took their captive to the
nearby guardhouse to be questioned by the lieutenant in charge of the guard
south of the city. This officer, too, became suspicious when David was
unable to produce personal identification. So he ordered him to empty his
pockets. The money, both Confederate and Union, did not surprise the
officer. Neither did the handgun. Anybody traveling in remote areas without
at least a pistol would be thought foolhardy. Some letters David was
carrying to relatives and friends in south Arkansas caused no concern, but
a memorandum book aroused curiosity. The officer found most entries in the
book innocuous, but one page, written entirely in Morse Code, prompted him
to arrest the boy on suspicion of espionage and send him back to Union
headquarters at the arsenal in Little Rock.
General Steele called in a telegrapher from the Little Rock telegraph
office to decode the suspicious page of David's memorandum book. The result
was formal charges of espionage and formation of a Court Martial to try the
case. The Morse Code in the memorandum book proved to be a highly accurate
synopsis of Union strength in Little Rock, even listing the number of
artillery pieces in certain units.
For two days, David Dodd was questioned by Federal military officers who
were extremely anxious to identify the Union "traitor" who gave him
detailed information about Little Rock defenses. They also demanded to know
for whom David was working. Some histories claim the youngster steadfastly
refused to answer either question, but Walter Scott McNutt's Elementary
History of Arkansas maintains, without attribution, that David blamed
General Fagan in Camden for his plight. He reportedly told Union
investigators that Fagan refused to issue him a pass to Little Rock through
Confederate lines unless he agreed to spy.
David was now committed to the State Prison to await trial. The military
tribunal convened January 2, 1864, at the arsenal with General John Milton
Thayer as the presiding officer of the Court Martial. The trial record
indicates the boy was asked repeatedly to name the Union traitor and the
person to whom he was directly responsible. But in the four days the Court
Martial lasted, David kept silent. His attorneys, William Walker, who was
hired by Alderman Henry, and William Fishback, who later became Governor of
Arkansas, had little but David's ignorance on which to base a defense, and
the defendant made only a feeble effort to explain his Morse Code
information as something he did to exercise his telegraphic skills. The boy
did not take the witness stand, but his attorneys submitted a written
deposition of his testimony.
The Court Martial lasted four days. David Dodd was convicted of spying for
the Confederacy and was sentenced to be hanged at the discretion of General
Steele. The boy was immediately transferred back to the State Prison to
await his execution, and General Steele designated Friday, January 8, 1864,
as the fateful day.
Much happened in the two days between David's conviction and his hanging.
But through it all, there was no indication that the boy was ever other
than stoical. Troops immediately set to work constructing a gallows on the
front campus of St. John's College, but as the execution would demonstrate,
the Yankees were much more adept at killing people in hot blood than in
cold blood.
Early Saturday morning, January 9, a small cortege of selected mourners
accompanied David Dodd's body across town to West Main Street (now
Broadway) and buried it in a grave in Mount Holly Cemetery reportedly
donated by Nighton.
In 1913, an eight-foot marble spire was erected over the boy's grave and a
simple low marble curb was installed to outline the plot. On the spire is
engraved: " Here lie the remains of David O. Dodd. Born in Lavaca County,
Texas, Nov.10, 1846, died Jan. 8, 1864." A marble scroll overlaying the
curb that surrounds the grave bears the inscription: "Boy Martyr of the
Confederacy." The grave is in the southeast quadrant of Mount Holly Cemetery.
A MEMORIAL REQUEST FOR A HERO OF ALL WARS
Bob Hope Military Tribute
Fifty-seven years have passed since Bob Hope first entertained our
country's men and women in uniform. Whenever there was a need, Bob Hope was
there. Thanks to him, hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen
and marines have had their spirits lifted.
In 1997, by an act of Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton, Bob
was made an 'honorary veteran." Upon receiving the award, Bob said, "I've
been given many awards in my lifetime - but to be numbered among the men
and women I admire most - is the greatest honor I have ever received."
The tribute will occupy a waterfront site in San Diego, California Bob Hope
made a difference every day of his life. Now it's your turn to make a
difference in honoring this legendary man. Currently, Taffy III is raising
funds to create a Military Tribute to Bob Hope in recognition of his
efforts for all our country's servicemen and women.
Endorsement of the Hope family Dolores and Linda Hope have endorsed the
Military Tribute to Bob Hope, and Taffy III is communicating with Linda on
an ongoing basis. Ward Grant, Bob Hope's longtime publicist, serves on the
Tribute's honorary board of directors.
TAFFY III Officers
Jack Yusen, Bellevue, Washington, president; before retirement, Jack was
the national sales manager of an industrial chemical maintenance company
for 42 years. John Ibe, San Diego, California, vice president; John is
Principle and Vice President of Western Devcon, Inc., was CEO of Lamco
Industries, a manufacturing company. Ed Hagerty, Minneapolis, Minnesota,
secretary; Ed is a senior partner of a Minneapolis law firm. Paul Michel,
St. Louis, Missouri, treasurer; before retirement, Paul was vice president
of Boatsman National Bank (now Bank One) of St. Louis.
A SYMBOL FOR OUR HEROES
"Old Glory''
The name "Old Glory" was first applied to the U.S. flag by a young sea
captain who lived in Salem, Mass. On his twenty-first birthday, March 17,
1824, Capt. William Driver was presented a beautiful flag by his mother and
a group of Salem girls. Driver was delighted with the gift. He exclaimed,
"I name her 'Old Glory.'" Then Old Glory accompanied the captain on his
many voyages.
Captain Driver quit the sea in 1837. He settled in Nashville, Tenn. On
patriotic days he displayed Old Glory proudly from a rope extending from
his house to a tree across the street. After Tennessee seceded from the
Union in 1861, Captain Driver hid Old Glory. He sewed the flag inside a
comforter. When Union soldiers entered Nashville on February 25, 1862,
Driver removed Old Glory from its hiding place. He carried the flag to the
state capitol building and raised it.
Shortly before his death, the old sea captain placed a small bundle into
the arms of his daughter. He said to her, "Mary Jane, this is my ship flag,
Old Glory. It has been my constant companion. I love it as a mother loves
her child. Cherish it as I have cherished it."
The flag remained as a precious heirloom in the Driver family until 1922.
Then it was sent to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, where it is
carefully preserved under glass today.
THE NATIONAL CEMETERY REMEMBERING THE HEROES
The following letter was written by Miriam ("Mimi") Felt to her family
describing events in Washington, DC, around the time of the first burial at
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in November
1921. "Mimi" was 23 years old and worked in the water sanitation division
of the U.S. Health Service in Washington, DC.
Sunday (Nov. 13, 1921)
Dear Family,
Well, this last week has been quite an event in history, and I certainly do
wish you all could have been in Washington. It certainly is something I
shall never forget. Somehow, you can talk about it and think about it, but
the realization of the whole thing struck me so much more by seeing it all,
and it was so impressive. Of course, Washington is alive with foreigners of
all sorts, and I am turning around all the time to see something else for
fear I will miss something. The crowds have been simply enormous, and I
feel considerably thinner from having wedged my way through. But leave it
to Clara, we are always on the front line.
Thursday night after work, Gertie and I went up to the Capitol to see the
body in state there. We went up about six o'clock, thinking the crowd would
not be so large. But at that time the line (four abreast) extended over two
blocks, and by the time we had reached the Capitol steps and could look
back at the crowd, it extended up one side of the park, down another side,
then the third side of it and on beyond around the Capitol building where
we could see no farther, so I don't know how much longer it was. It was
perfectly beautifully managed, and there was no crowding, and everyone,
strangely enough, acted as though they really were there to pay respect to
the memory which that body was to represent to the country, and not there
to see out of curiosity.
There were guards, of course, all up the line and then a special guard of
honor around the catafalque. The flowers were simply magnificent, each
state and then different organizations sent wreaths or flowers made up in
some beautiful piece. President Harding's wreath of red roses was on the
bier and also a white ribbon was draped over it, which Mrs. Harding had
made. It was most impressive, all told.
Friday bright and early, we arose and went down on Pennsylvania Avenue to
see the funeral procession. Of course, we had hysterics over Clara trying
to wedge us in amidst the crowd. I'll have to leave the details of that to
tell. Something on the order of Inauguration, however. It was sort of a
fitting setting all around for it, because you remember I told you the day
the Olympia arrived with the body, it was very rainy and dark, and in my
mind sort of typified the thing itself. Then Friday, when the procession
started, it was as though it were in the "gray dawn", for the sun didn't
really break through until it was about all passed. And that went with that
part of it, too, to me.
There were represented in the procession about every branch of service, and
all the organizations, etc. President Harding and the cabinet and the
Senate all walked, and we had a chance to see them all very clearly. Only I
missed finding Taft until he was passed. I am going to have to see him
soon, somehow. It seems that because I am specially anxious to see him, I
always miss him! Did you know that this was the first time in History that
three Presidents were seen in the same procession? Wilson had to ride, of
course. He looked quite well, and people that have seen him recently seem
to think he is much improved. I couldn't quite understand, however, why
Mrs. Wilson had to ride by his side, for she was the only lady of that sort
in it. The President and cabinet etc. dropped out at the White House and
rode up to Arlington. The rest marched on. We didn't attempt to go there
because there was no chance of seeing anything and we figured we could read
the speech. We had seen the cemetery on Wednesday and knew about what would
take place. I'm glad we didn't attempt it for most people were about five
hours in all getting up and back.
Then that night was the illumination of the jeweled arch. It was wonderful!
When the lights first started to come on, you could see the different lines
of the search lights gradually cross each other, and then finally shine out
in the most beautiful colors you have ever seen.
They fired twenty-one minute guns and the lights were sent through the
smoke. I just can't describe to you the effect of it all. I declare the
arch was something that you cannot conceive of man making, somehow. It
seemed almost superhuman. The pillars on either side of the street were
made into monument effects, the tops from about half way up being covered
with sequents (does she mean "sequins"?) of some sort.
This all was on a larger base, and around them, on each base, was a large
eagle, and incense bowls all around too, burning. In the center of the arch
was a large circle composed of smaller circles, and within each of these
the picture of the various flags. Then hanging from the pillars was a
straight band of vari-colored glass, I guess it must have been, which
positively sparkled with more beautiful colors than I have ever seen. They
threw different colored search lights on it from all sides. And that wasn't
all -- the Washington monument was lighted so that it looked as though
there were streamers of white light from the top to the bottom, and two
search lights from the top crossed and were sent out over the city.
Also lights were thrown from the Capitol building so far away which were
visible, too. All along the street in front of the Pan American building
where the Conference will be held for the most part, there were erected
tall poles with Eagles on the top and colored, lighted box effects built
about them of the different shields, that is, "flag productions" of the
shields. It made the whole street lighter than day, of course, and with all
the various colors it certainly was a vision to behold! Course, you will
see it in the movies, and maybe not recognize my description of it all, but
it's the best I can do, and I thought perhaps Mother and Dad, at least,
would like to hear my own description of it!
Yours,
Daughter, Sister and sweetheart.
M
(As a postscript, Ms. Felt wrote:)
Give my love to Grandpa. Sorry he isn't feeling up to par. Tell him to be a
good boy. Tell him too that some of his old "cronies" marched to Arlington
Friday and they looked mighty fine, I'll tell you - and I thought a lot
about what he did for his country.
The Veterans Day National Committee thanks Ms. Barbara Felt, the author's
niece, for sharing this letter to relatives written by her Aunt Mimi.
Posted by Adam H at November 11, 2003 06:54 PM ~ Link Cosmos
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Backcountry Conservative linked with Veterans Day
