Daily Blog

Words of Wisdom

8/31/2019

Once upon a time, many a year ago there lived a fellow who's words of wisdom were noted and preserved in print. Over the years many have turned to these words for guidance. But sadly as many and more have looked the other way.

One of his memorial lines was that... "It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation... and only one bad one to lose it."

His name was Ben and the University of Pennsylvania gave us a monument to remember Ben. Here he is on his bench...

Mr Ben ... Franklin sits at peace with his local broadsheet newspaper and reading the news of the day. Later he probably uses the secret bracelet he is wearing to send out tweets to friends and foes alike.

I hope that with the exorbitant internet rates I pay, these blogs are being beamed up to Ben and he approves of the good deeds and shutters at the bad this blog gets bogged down with each few weeks.

And on that end I move on to the US Commander in Chief, a title I am told that applies ONLY to his duties with the armed forces.

Regular visitors to this site have read many a story here about the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart. Many hours each week are spent by me searching out these topics and others to bring to you in my blogs.

Thus the Purple Heart story of August 2016 peaked my interest. It of course involved President Trump, American's Commander in Chief of the military.

I believe it was at a West Virginia Rally, when a soldier reached out to the President and gave him the soldier's Purple Heart. He then exclaimed how much faith he had in his commander and the work being done on behalf of the nation... and the world.

In a later speech President Trump noted that he had always wanted one, and by being handed one by the soldier that was ..."much easier" to get. When considering the horrendous situations most recipients have gone through, that resulted in later receiving this medal, the comment was flippant. It was also downgrading to those, many of whom lost their lives, and were subsequently awarded the medal.

Making matters worse, the President then made the statement that ..."soldiers go to war to get the Purple Heart.' Most serving members of the military family, current and past, will tell you that getting a medal is the last thing on their minds when they... "go to war."

Let's now move the calendar along to the 4th of July of this year. The scene is the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. America's Commander in Chief of the military is giving a pep talk to the nation.

In his "Salute to America" he began with comments about the Revolutionary War and how the army took over the ramparts, and I believe also said they captured airports, but certainly said the army "manned the air."

Hmmm... Airports and manning the air.. seems to me the Wright Brothers first flew in December of 1903... not during the Revolutionary War of 1775-1783.

And speaking of the Revolutionary War the President added that the Rockets Red Glare, from the Star Spangled Banner refer to Fort Mchenry in the Revolutionary War. Trouble is that the fort and wording came from actions during the War of 1812.

And then there is the story about how Trump told the world that President Andrew Jackson could have prevented the US Civil War of 1861-5. Even though he had died 16 years before it started.

Here is an image of the Purple Heart mentioned above. The first was presented to General MacArthur in 1942.. actually he got 2, both backdated for actions in the Great War.

But the internet rarely tells you what this blog has told you in the past. That being that the first Purple Heart, by date of action and injury went to a female nurse. A Canadian nurse named Beautrice MacDonald from PEI. You can search on this site for several mentions of her career and medals including the first ever awarding of the Distinguished Service Cross to anyone in the US.

The Commander if Chief again seemed to show a lack of respect when addressing a conference of veterans just a few weeks back when saying that he always wanted a Medal of Honor, but joked that he had been told he did not qualify. He then smiled and remarked that as President he could just award himself the medal. But that others apparently said that was not a good idea.

On a more positive note President Trump was involved in a wonderful ceremony earlier this month. Prior to presenting the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant David Bellavia he gave a wonderful, positive and uplifting speech about the medal, the incredible bravery of the recipient and his platoon of brothers and left everyone in the room no doubt coming away from the event with tears of joy in their eyes for the privilege on being in that packed room and hearing such a motivating performance.

I highly recommend you set aside 20 minutes to watch the presentation here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRv8mskpS7g

And even more moving is to hear this hero's speech after being inducted into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes and receiving the Medal of Honor flag the following day. That 20 minute video is here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu3Gm5PGvRM

And after watching the 2nd you hopefully will agree with me that the Staff Sergeant's speech is full of... Words of Wisdom

see you next Sunday.
Bart

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Another Five Medals of Honor, Part Two.

8/11/2019

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It's been close to a decade now since I first traveled to California, regarding research on the Canadians and those with connections to Canada that were awarded the Medal of Honor. The accepted number of recipients a decade even further back were at 54, but now my research, with the help of many folks along the way, has them hovering at about 120.

Back in 2009 I was given the incredible honour of being permitted to attend the funeral of a US hero by the name of Lewis Millett at Riverside California. This Colonel's story has been told and covered several times in this space. Use the search engine to locate the blogs. I would also HIGHLY suggest you spend about 5 minutes to watch the wonderful video at... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9H7XplkI54

Within the large national cemetery at Riverside there is one of a very few official Medal Of Honor Memorials located across the country.

What you see above is me standing at the entrance to this gorgeous awe-inspiring memorial to American greatest heroes of all time. When I say American, I should give a caveat. There were at least 45 countries, including Canada of course, that service members came from that would earn the medal with their American comrades. One in five in the medal's history were non American born. Few know this!

In the center of the reflective pool above is a structure that consists of jets... or streams of water that cascade down to the pool. I was told that back in the early days the number of actual jets being used represented one for each of the MOH men then alive. But I believe that symbolism has been put to rest. (Pardon the pun..)

If memory serves correct, there are 39 black marble panels around the edge of the pool. On each are listed the recipients, by war. While there in 2009 I counted 31 panels containing names of Canadians or those with connections to Canada for all to see. Though nationalities are not listed.

Here are some close ups...

First row left to right..we see John Grady NB, and at right Alonzo Pickle Que, 2nd row left George Houghton NS, and at right George Low, Canadian but from where is still a mystery, 3rd row left Alvin York (no Can. connection) and at right the explorers Lindbergh, Byrd and Bennett. And at 4th row at left Audie Murphy, no Cdn. Connection, John Killmartin from Montreal at right and the very bottom...William F Cody who lived for awhile in the Toronto area, as did his parents and grandfather.

Cody is the same man we heard of last week. But then he was using his Greatest Shows of the West name... BUFFALO BILL. But he was not only an entertainer, and in fact a very famous entertainer, but also a war hero who was awarded a Medal of Honor.

William joined one of the State Cavalry units in the later part of the Civil War, did honourable service and left the military after the war. But he was soon offered a position as a scout in one of the national Cavalry regiments, and it was here that he would be involved in no less than 19 battles and skirmishes with the Natives during what became known as the Indian Wars.

On 26 April 1872 he had led a small unit off to track down natives that had been stealing horses. Upon finding them he got the soldiers within about 50 yards before being discovered. A few fled off in full gallop with some of the stolen horses. Details seem sketchy but is was during this event that he was later cited for bravery and within less than a month... on 22 May 1872 his actions earned him the Medal of Honor. When his military service was up he put the medal and uniform away and got on with his life in the Wild West business.

Buffalo Bill died on 10 Jan., 1917. Less than a month later the results of the famous purge of Feb 1917 saw to it that his medal like so many others was rescinded. According to the official reports the argument offered was that since no longer in the service, but simply on a contract to scout for the military, he and 4 other scouts all would lose their medals. And so they did.

The rescinding, like those of the 27th Maine and others noted often in this space, were just as illegal as were the others for reasons noted in those blogs.

But finally some good news....

While the government has corrected its errors of the past with the Mary Walker, Buffalo Cody and four other scouts, these six should only be a start. There were 911 medals revoked, not by the 5 generals who did the investigation as ordered, nor by politicians... but by bureaucrats of the day.

One must ask how long it will take before a proper full investigation into the legality of this Purge can be conducted, and a path set forth on how to rectify it once and for all.

The very dignity of the medal is at stake as this injustice to so many heroes simply goes on and on and on.

I shall return on September 1st, to talk about Purple Heart Day, which was celebrated on August 7th, and two major injustices that I see on that front as well.

Please join me then,
Bart

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Another Five Medals of Honor, Victims of Illegal Purge of 1917, get Returned 103 Years Later!

8/5/2019

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Last week this blog brought forth yet another about the Purge of 1917. It noted that the Mary Walker Medal of Honor, the only one ever issued to a woman in the medal's history, became one of the victims of that purge.

It also told that is was rescinded because the officials in 1917 did not consider the fact that she was a CONTRACT Assistant Surgeon, a former POW, spy for the Union and with lots of credit for bravery whilst treating her patients. Much of this being at many a Civil War battlefield. However the very system she so honourably served did not feel she was a member of the military, and thus, lacked the apparent status required for the medal.

The blog further noted that... after some 72 years... the Walker Medal of Honor was returned to active status. This despite the fact that the men of the day lacked the ability to get the medal back from her and descendants throughout more than 6 decades.

Moving along, our story now has us reading of the tales of Phoebe Ann Moses of Idaho. But today's yarn has her chasing and roping Buffalo in the streets of Toronto Canada. Well, sort of!

Annie would travel with 50 bison, 80 horses, elk, mule and donkeys, a famous stagecoach, gun touting cowboys and cowgirls, indigenous "warriors" and dancers and arrive with none other than the famous Chief Sitting Bull. They'd all come from Belleville by train with 18 boxcars holding the entertainers, animals and supplies needed to put on a three day wild west show. Fifty cents got you a seat, half for the kids.

Annie was a sharpshooter... with an international reputation of being the best. Coming from a family of six living in a log cabin, her father died at about age six and so her poor mother had to send her off to live first, in a poorhouse, then later to another family who mistreated her.

Running away, Annie made her way back to her family and took up shooting rifles to kill game for the family to eat, and also make money supplying the local restaurants and hotels. Each shot made her yet more talented with the weapon.

Entering contests led to winning contests... most if not all. Then came along an expert man who claimed he could beat them all. She took up the challenge. He'd then hit 24 of 25 targets. Then she shot them all. A few years later they were married, and spent the next 5 decades together.

It would be in August of 1885 that the couple would be part of the internationally famous Wild West Show that toured the world, including Toronto and Montreal. It would not be the last time the troop... known as Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show would tour in Canada

But by then Annie would have adopted her stage name, using that of the small community close to where she grew about 185 miles South East in Boise and along the Ohio border. A place called Oakley.

A place where she was known as a sniper, a slang for her expertise in shooting down large numbers of the bird called the Snipe. A term that today refers to the crack-shots of the world.

Here we see Annie Oakley in her youth and a few of her prized medals...

and two adds for the show.

Here is another shot of Buffalo Bill mid aged and one a little later..probably in the 1880's and with the rank of Colonel. While he served in various units in the Civil War and later with broken service, the rank of Colonel above was not military but in fact an honourary title.

Cody is posing here with Chief Sitting Bull in either Toronto or Montreal probably in 1885.

At age 14 William F Cody saw an ad from the Pony Express. It said they were looking for..."skinny expert riders willing to risk death daily." All for a whopping $25 per week. He applied and more than once he had to outrun or shoot those wanted to hold up the express or do harm to him and the passengers.

Between military jaunts he went on loan to help shoot Bison for the meat dreadfully needed to feed the Kansas City Railroad workers and others. In fact at about that time... for 18 months he was in a very long contest to see who could shoot the most Bison, then thought to be Buffalo. He won the contest... and the name...Buffalo Bill, after killing 4, 280 during the contest's run.

One thing led to another and 1885 found him in the show business in Ontario. Not exactly a strange place for him. Both his parents lived in the Toronto area as did his Grandfather. Though US born he would return within his first few years of life and would be christened in the very church his grandfather donated for that purpose in what is today called Mississauga, just west of Toronto.

Here is a picture of the church, presumably still standing today. It is at the corners of Melton and Cody Lane, named in honour of his grandfather.

And here is a commemorative plaque mounted in honour of Buffalo Bill and his grandfather. Though there seems to be a discrepancy in its location versus the church????

There will be more on this next Sunday, even though the next blog is not due till three Sundays off.

cheers till then
Bart

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Blog delayed till Monday night. Other matters have kept me from completing the blog, but it will be published tomorrow. Please stay tuned.

8/4/2019

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Words of Wisdom

Another Five Medals of Honor, Part Two.

Another Five Medals of Honor, Victims of Illegal Purge of 1917, get Returned 103 Years Later!

Blog delayed till Monday night. Other matters have kept me from completing the blog, but it will be published tomorrow. Please stay tuned.

Author;
Bart Armstrong, C.D.,
Recipient, Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers

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Categories

Words of Wisdom

Another Five Medals of Honor, Part Two.

Another Five Medals of Honor, Victims of Illegal Purge of 1917, get Returned 103 Years Later!

Blog delayed till Monday night. Other matters have kept me from completing the blog, but it will be published tomorrow. Please stay tuned.

Author;Bart Armstrong, C.D., Recipient, Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers

Archives

Categories

Author;
Bart Armstrong, C.D.,
Recipient, Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers