Ross Dunfee “Soldier, put those bodies in the graves and get them buried.” “Sargent, what names should I put on each of the grave markers?” “I don’t know. For now, just mark it Unknown.” This conversation has occurred throughout many wars around the world. Identifying and repatriating the deceased is a logistical nightmare. It is…
Tag: Support Our Troops
Generals, September 2022
U.S. Military History
U.S. Flag Folding—Part 1 of 2 Ross Dunfee While not officially adopting a flag at the time of the Declaration of Independence, the “Continental Colors” (aka the “Grand Union” flag), has historically been referred to as the first national flag of the United States. That flag has a striking resemblance to the British East India…
Features, August 2022
U.S. Military History: The Star-Spangled Banner
Ross Dunfee At the outset of the 19th century, Great Britain was locked in a long and bitter conflict with Napoleon Bonaparte’s France. Both France and Great Britain attempted to block the United States from trading with the other, and restrict the USA from westward expansion. Beginning in 1812, Napoleon began to encounter the first…
Features, April 2022
U.S. Military History: U.S. Coast Guard Flag, Song, and Motto
Ross Dunfee The Coast Guard has a rich history of consolidation with other federal services. The Coast Guard was created in 1915 when the Revenue Cutter Service (from 1790) was merged with the Life Saving Service (from 1848). In 1939, the Lighthouse Service (from 1789) was added, and the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation…
Features, January 2022
Some U.S. Navy History
Prior to the American Revolution, the colonies had no naval forces, but did have a large maritime population and many merchant vessels employed in domestic and foreign trade. That merchant service was familiar not only with the sea, but also with warfare. On Oct. 13, 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the first Navy. On Dec.…
Features, November 2021
U.S. Marines—Flag and Seal, Song, and Motto
Flag and Seal: Marines used the Grand Union flag, and possibly the Gadsden flag (yellow flag with a “Don’t Tread on Me” rattlesnake), during the assault on New Providence Island, Bahamas, March 3, 1776. During the 1830s/1840s, the flag consisted of a gold-fringed white field centered with an eagle and anchor with “To the Shores of…
Features, October 2021
Marine Corps History
Ross Dunfee What is a Marine? A sailor, a soldier, or an infantry or amphibious assault member? They are all soldiers serving on ships ready for land action. Their history, etched in antiquity, has records in ancient Greece and Rome. In the 17th century, the English, in its wars with the Dutch, referred to Marine…
Features, July 2021
U.S. Military History: Independence Day
Ross Dunfee The first successful English colony settled in America was at Jamestown, Va., in 1607—and the migration was on—primarily of British, German, and Dutch extraction, but immigrants arrived from throughout Europe. Communities were settled and financed primarily by privately-organized British settlers or families using free enterprise without any significant English royal or Parliamentary government…
Features, June 2021
U.S. Military History: D-Day
Ross Dunfee So, what does the “D” stand for in D-Day? Stop! Do not keep reading until you attempt to answer the question. Okay, now you can read on. Most people who celebrate the holiday do not know the answer. Some people believe it is in reference to June 6, 1944, when, in World War…
Religion, May 2021
U.S. Military History: Memorial Day
Ross Dunfee The killing was over. The four-year-long Civil War officially ended at Appomattox, Va., April 9, 1865. There was a large division between the northern states (largely industrial) and the southern states (largely agrarian) over slavery, states’ rights, and westward expansion. The election of Lincoln was the last straw, and by one month after…