Veterans Day, 2012

“At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month! A simple telegram of three lines brought us the great news: ‘At eleven o’clock today in accordance with the terms of the armistice, firing ceased on the American front.’ It meant five words to us ‘The War is Over!’ and ‘Home.’ We knew it was true and for days we knew it was bound to come, but still it didn’t seem real. Could the world really be freed of the curse that has infected it for fifty-two months, could the end really have come to the organized efforts of men to kill, could we look forward to tomorrow without wondering what horror it might hold in store for us and those for whom we cared!”  -- Hermann Moyse, Sr., letter to his fiancee
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"I have today signed a proclamation calling upon all of our citizens to observe Thursday, November 11, 1954 as Veterans Day. It is my earnest hope that all veterans, their organizations, and the entire citizenry will join hands to insure proper and widespread observance of this day. " -- Pres. Eisenhower, on signing the bill that changed Armistice Day to Veterans Day. (Photo here)

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Today is Veterans Day. It was originally Armistice Day, which marked the end of what is now known as World War I, but is now known as Veterans Day. Remember that; it's important.This link has a photo of the post-armistice signing. Here is the official homepage for Veterans Day.

Memorial Day 2012

Nations, as a rule, honor those who have laid down their lives in service of their country. National Geographic has a decent article explaining how that evolved into Memorial Day in America. The Department of Veterans Affairs also has a site for your research and curiosity. So, before you go do any thing too exciting today, remember Memorial Day, and all the people who have sacrificed to bring us to where we are now from Lexington and Concord to Afghanistan and Iraq. Rolling Thunder is also in town, and so are a variety of museums and memorials, so there is no reason not to take a few minutes and remember.

People, Don't Be Suckers.

So, apparently, people really believed that Lincoln somehow envisioned a sort of proto-Facebook. You see, when I say that out loud, it sounds ridiculous. Because it is. In part, I blame journalists and bloggers for getting snookered and repeating the false claims. For most hoaxes, has no one heard of Snopes? You can't put your ATM pin backwards to call for help, that kid does not need you to forward this email and there are no friendly Nigerian princes looking to give people money.

Totally Non-Scientific Poll: America's Greatest Military Foe

My first ever totally non-scientific blog poll. I'm so proud. You may need to go back in blog time, that is, read the archives, to fully inform yourself on what we're voting on. If you want to be informed and not just shoot from the hip, you'll have to do real research. If you want the lazy way out, start here and then click through to read my not scholarly researched, but better than nothing, write ups about Lee, Howe, Yamomoto, Giap and Sitting Bull. Then, go below the jump to the poll.

America's Greatest Military Foe 5: Sitting Bull?

After the first four, I really wasn't sure who else deserved a mention as I rambled through the possibilities. But, there's at least one more name that I think won't be controversial. After these five, I really can't think of any other general or commander you could really suggest who would have a better claim to the title than these guys. Namely because Sitting Bull's command lasted a significant time period, defeated General Custer and ultimately demanded a level of loyalty from his followers that any general would envy.

America's Greatest Military Foe 4: Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap?

You know what is embarrassing? Copy and pasting your title to make sure you keep the same wording, and forgetting to update the number in the title. Yamamoto is now properly listed as post number three, as opposed to sharing post number two. Anyway, our next possibility is North Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap, who according to Wikipedia, is 100 years old.

America's Greatest Military Foe 3: Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto?

By the time we reach World War II, naval operations were becoming even more important to warfare. In 1890, Mahan wrote one of the most important treatises on the subject. World War I demonstrated the power of the U-boat, and by World War II, ruling the waves was critical to maintaining operations, especially for island powers like Japan and Britain (though I'm sure Britain would not like me to refer to it that way). While America had Nimitz, Japan's naval forces rested in the eminently capable hands of Isoroku Yamamoto.

America's Greatest Military Foe 2: Gen. William Howe?

I don't really have a set order I'm reviewing my suggestions. I started with Lee because I figured he was the easiest. I feel that Howe is probably not going to be nearly as popular a choice as Lee (in fact, I don't think any of them are!) But, Howe does have some arguments going for him.

America's Greatest Military Foe 1: Gen. Robert E. Lee?

I wanted to start with the one person I thought would probably be most universally chosen. I honestly think that most people are going to think of Lee as the epitome of America's greatest military foe, for a number of reasons. Let me outline them below.

Britain's Greatest Enemy; What About America?

That is, Washington the general, not the city.