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…
Tag: SOT
July 2022
Military History: Women in War
Ross Dunfee Women have been participants in war since time began. In colonial days women used firearms to protect home, property, and loved ones. During the Revolution, Civil War, World Wars, and multiple other skirmishes, women often fought quietly alongside male comrades, but not as part of the uniformed services. During WWII able-bodied men were…
Community News, 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…
Community News, 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…
Community News, October 2021
U.S. Military History: Some U.S. 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…
Card Games & Sports, September 2021
U.S. Military History: U.S. Army—Flag, Song, Motto, and Oath
Ross Dunfee Flag—The Army Seal was used originally during the American Revolution to authenticate documents. It displayed the designation “War Office,” which was synonymous with Headquarters of the Army, and the Roman date MDCCLXXVIII (1778) the first time it was used. It remained unchanged until 1947, when the War Office banner was replaced with “Department…
Community News, 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…
Community News, May 2021
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…
Community News, March 2021
U.S. Military History: Vietnam Veterans Day
Ross Dunfee When did the Vietnam War begin? France maintained colonial rule of Vietnam from 1864 until the Geneva Accords of 1954. During that time, multiple wars occurred in the area (including Cambodia and Laos). The Geneva Accords divided Vietnam into north (Communist rule) and south (the Republic of Vietnam), and that enticed the U.S. into…
Community News, February 2021
Presidents Day
Ross Dunfee While Presidents Day is a federal holiday, celebrated on the third Monday of February, it is not really a national holiday. Splitting hairs? In 1968, Congress passed the Monday Holiday Act for observance of Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day to be celebrated on a Monday, but the actual dates for the…