DeSoto County Veterans Park

09/14/2026

September 14, 2026

Hello Everyone!!

Here is the first of 3 events, in chronological order, that took place on this day in history.

212 years ago today, September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key penned a poem which was later set to music and, in 1931, became America’s national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The poem, originally titled “The Defense of Fort McHenry,” was written after Key witnessed the Maryland fort being bombarded by the British during the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the sight of a lone U.S. flag still flying over Fort McHenry at daybreak and quickly penned a four-stanza poem in tribute to what he had witnessed as reflected in the now-famous words of the “Star-Spangled Banner”: “And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.”

The 4-stanza poem was printed in newspapers and the first stanza eventually set to the music of a popular English drinking tune called “To Anacreon in Heaven” by composer John Stafford Smith & would become our national anthem. People began referring to the song as “The Star-Spangled Banner” & in 1916 President Woodrow Wilson announced that it should be played at all official events. It was adopted as the national anthem on March 3, 1931.

In the last stanza Key wrote “and this be our motto: “in God is our trust”. The then Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase suggested a replacement of words to be “In God We Trust”. On March 3, 1865, Congress adopted Secretary Chase’s proposal to inscribe the U. S. coins with said motto and President Lincoln signed it into law before his assassination on April 24, 1865. Nearly a hundred years later, on July 20, 1956, “In God We Trust” was officially declared to be the motto of the United States by an act of Congress.

Francis Scott Key was born on August 1, 1779, at Terra Rubra, his family’s estate in Frederick County (now Carroll County), Maryland. He became a successful lawyer in Maryland and Washington, D.C. and was later appointed U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Key died of pleurisy on January 11, 1843. God Bless to All!!

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09/14/2026

September 14, 2026

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179 years ago today, September 14, 1847, during the Mexican American War, U.S. forces under General Winfield Scott entered Mexico City and raised the American flag over the Hall of Montezuma, concluding a devastating advance that began with an amphibious landing at Vera Cruz six months earlier.

The Mexican American War began with a dispute over the U.S. government’s 1845 annexation of Texas. In January 1846, President James K. Polk, a strong advocate of westward expansion, ordered General Zachary Taylor to occupy disputed territory between the Nueces and Rio Grande Rivers. Mexican troops attacked Taylor’s forces, and on May 13, 1846, Congress approved a declaration of war against Mexico.

On March 9, 1847, U.S. forces under General Winfield Scott invaded Mexico three miles south of Vera Cruz. They encountered little resistance from the Mexicans massed in the fortified city of Vera Cruz, and by nightfall the last of Scott’s 10,000 men came ashore without the loss of a single life. It was the largest amphibious landing in U.S. history and not surpassed until World War II. By March 29, with very few casualties, Scott’s forces had taken Vera Cruz and its massive fortress, San Juan de Ulua. On September 14, Scott’s forces reached the Mexican capital.

In February 1848, representatives from the United States and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, formally ending the Mexican War, recognizing Texas as part of the United States, and extending the boundaries of the United States west to the Pacific Ocean. May we all prove ourselves worth of their sacrifice. God Bless to All!!

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09/14/2026

September 14, 2026

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82 years ago today, September 14, 1944, the U.S. 1st Marine Division landed on the island of Peleliu, one of the Palau Islands in the Pacific, as part of a larger operation to provide support for Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who was preparing to invade the Philippines. The cost in American lives would prove historic.

The Palaus, part of the Caroline Islands, were among the mandated islands taken from Germany and given to Japan as one of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles at the close of World War I. The U.S. military lacked familiarity with the islands, and Adm. William Halsey argued against Operation Stalemate, which included the Army invasion of Morotai in the Dutch East Indies, believing that MacArthur would meet minimal resistance in the Philippines, therefore making this operation unnecessary, especially given the risks involved.

Peleliu was subject to pre-invasion bombardment, but it proved of little consequence. The Japanese defenders of the island were buried too deep in the jungle, and the target intelligence given the Americans was faulty. Upon landing, the Marines met little immediate resistance, but that was a ploy.

Shortly thereafter, Japanese machine guns opened fire, knocking out more than two dozen landing craft. Japanese tanks and troops followed, as the startled 1st and 5th Marine regiments fought intensely. Jungle caves were filled with even more Japanese soldiers. Within one week of the invasion, the Marines lost 4,000 men. By the time it was all over, that number would surpass 9,000. The Japanese lost more than 13,000 men.

Flamethrowers and bombs finally subdued the island for the Americans, but it all proved pointless. When McArthur invaded the Philippines without the need of Army or Marine protection from either Peleliu or Morotai it proved Adm. Halsey assessment that McArthur would meet minimal resistance was correct. May we all prove ourselves worth of their sacrifice. God Bless to All!!

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09/12/2026

September 12, 2026

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61 years ago, yesterday, September 11, 1965, the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) began to arrive in South Vietnam at Qui Nhon, bringing U.S. troop strength in South Vietnam to more than 125,000. The unit, which had a long and storied history, was the first full U.S. Army division deployed to Vietnam. The division consisted of nine battalions of airmobile infantry, an air reconnaissance squadron, and six battalions of artillery. The division also included the 11th Aviation Group, made up of three aviation battalions consisting of 11 companies of assault helicopters, assault support helicopters, and gunships.

The division used a new concept by which the ground maneuver elements were moved around the battlefield by helicopters. Initially deployed to the II Corps area at Qui Nhon, the division took part in the first major engagement between U.S. and North Vietnamese forces during the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley fought in November, just two months after the division began arriving in Vietnam. Later, the division moved further north to I Corps in 1968 to relieve the embattled U.S. Marines at Hue during the Tet Offensive. In October of the same year, they redeployed to III Corps to conduct operations to protect Saigon and in 1970, the division took part in the invasion of Cambodia and conducted operations in both III and IV Corps (the Mekong Delta).

Thus, the 1st Cavalry Division, popularly known as the “First Team,” was the only American division to fight in all four corps tactical zones. The bulk of the division began departing Vietnam in late April 1970, but the 3rd Brigade remained until June 1972. The 1st Cavalry Division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, and “First Team” soldiers received 25 Medals of Honor, 120 Distinguished Service Crosses, 2,766 Silver Stars, 2,697 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and 8,408 Bronze Stars for Valor. May we all prove ourselves worthy of their sacrifice. God Bless to All!!

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09/11/2026

September 11, 2026

Hello Everyone!!

We all know the horrific events that took place 25 years ago today, September 11, 2001, so I see no need to recount them. Suffice it to say our country, our home, our beloved nation, Our America, was attacked by terrorist causing the deaths of 2,977 innocent people in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in a field in Shanksville, PA. As of Sept 7, 2025, the Criminal Justice Division states that over 1,000 victims are still unidentified.

According to official figures as of today over 8,200 individuals have died from 9/11-related illnesses in the years since the attacks, a number that continues to grow with each passing year. Nearly 50,000 people have reported cancer diagnoses linked to the toxic air they inhaled during rescue, recovery, and cleanup efforts.. Please keep the family members of those lost on 9/11 as well as those who are still suffering from illnesses related to same, in prayer. May we all prove ourselves worthy of their sacrifice.

As December 7, 1941, became the “date that will live in infamy” September 11, 2001, has become the day we will “Never Forget”. God Bless to All!!

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09/10/2026

September 10, 2026

Hello Everyone!!

Here is the first of 2 events, in chronological order, that took place on this day in history.

20 years ago today, September 10, 1776. General George Washington asked for a volunteer for an extremely dangerous mission, to gather intelligence behind enemy lines before the coming Battle of Harlem Heights. Captain Nathan Hale of the 19th Regiment of the Continental Army stepped forward and subsequently become one of the first known American spies of the Revolutionary War.

Disguised as a Dutch schoolmaster, the Yale University-educated Hale slipped behind British lines on Long Island and then successfully gathered information about British troop movements for the next several weeks. While Hale was behind enemy lines, the British invaded the island of Manhattan and took control of the city on September 15, 1776. When the city was set on fire on September 20, 1776, British soldiers were put on high alert for sympathizers to the Patriot cause. The following evening, on September 21, 1776, Hale was captured while sailing Long Island Sound, trying to cross back into American-controlled territory.

Hale was interrogated by British General William Howe and, when it was discovered that he was carrying incriminating documents, Howe ordered his ex*****on for spying, which was set for the following morning. After being led to the gallows, legend states that Hale was asked if he had any last words and that he replied with these now-famous words, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” There is no historical record to prove that Hale actually made this statement, but, if he did, he may have been inspired by these lines in English author Joseph Addison’s 1713 play Cato: “What a pity it is, that we can die but once to serve our country.”

Patriot spy Nathan Hale was hanged by the British on the morning of September 22, 1776. He was just 21 years old. Although rumors later surfaced that Hale’s capture was the result of a betrayal by his first cousin and British Loyalist Samuel Hale, the exact circumstances leading to Hale’s arrest have never been discovered. May we all prove ourselves worthy of their sacrifice. God Bless to All!!

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09/10/2026

September 10, 2026

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213 years ago today, September 10, 1813, U.S. Captain Oliver Hazard Perry lead a fleet of nine American ship to victory over a squadron of six British warships at the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812 in the first defeat of a British naval squadron in history.

The battle was closely contested for hours, and Perry’s flagship Lawrence was reduced to a defenseless wreck. He then transferred to the Niagara and sailed directly into the British line, firing broadsides, and forcing the British to surrender. British casualties were 40 dead and 94 wounded. Perry had won a complete victory at the cost of 27 Americans killed and 96 wounded. May we all prove ourselves worthy of their sacrifice.

After the battle, Perry sent a famous dispatch to U.S. General William Henry Harrison that read, “We have met the enemy, and they are ours.” The Battle of Lake Erie forced the British to abandon Detroit, ensuring U.S. control over Lake Erie and the territorial northwest. May we all prove ourselves worthy of their sacrifice. God Bless to All!!

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09/08/2026

September 8, 2026

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81 years ago today, September 8, 1945, U.S. troops landed in Korea to begin their postwar occupation of the southern part of that nation. This came one month after Soviet troops had entered northern Korea to begin their own occupation. Although the U.S. & Soviet occupations were supposed to be temporary, the division of Korea quickly became permanent.

Korea had been a Japanese possession since the early 20th century. During World War II, the allies–the United States, Soviet Union, China and Great Britain–made a somewhat hazy agreement that Korea should become an independent country following the war. As the war progressed, U.S. officials began to press the Soviets to enter the war against Japan.

At the Yalta Conference in February 1945, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin pledged that his nation would declare war on Japan exactly three months after N**i Germany was defeated. At the Potsdam Conference held in July and August 1945, it was agreed that Soviet troops would occupy the northern portion of Korea, while American forces would take a similar action in southern Korea in order to secure the area and liberate it from Japanese control.

The occupations would be temporary, and Korea would eventually decide its own political future, though no date was set for the end of the U.S. and Soviet occupations. On August 8, the Soviets declared war on Japan. On August 9, Soviet forces invaded northern Korea. A few days later, Japan surrendered. Keeping to their part of the bargain, U.S. forces entered southern Korea on September 8, 1945.

Over the next few years, the situation in Korea steadily worsened. A civil war between communist & nationalist forces in southern Korea resulted in thousands of people killed and wounded. The Soviets steadfastly refused to consider any plans for the reunification of Korea. The United States reacted by setting up a government in South Korea, headed by Syngman Rhee. The Soviets established a communist regime in North Korea, under the leadership of Kim Il-Sung.

In 1948, the United States again offered to hold national elections, but the Soviets refused the offer. Elections were held in South Korea, and Rhee’s government received a popular mandate. The Soviets refused to recognize Rhee’s government, though, and insisted that Kim Il-Sung was the true leader of all Korea.

Having secured the establishment of a communist government in North Korea, Soviet troops withdrew in 1948 and U.S. troops in South Korea followed suit in 1949. In 1950, the North Koreans attempted to reunite the nation by force and launched a massive military assault on South Korea. The United States quickly came to the aid of South Korea, beginning a three-year involvement in the Korean War with 33, 686 American combat deaths. May we all prove ourselves worthy of their sacrifice.

Korea remains a divided nation today, and the North Korean regime is one of the few remaining communist governments left in the world. God Bless to All!!

09/07/2026

September 7, 2026

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250 years ago today, September 7, 1776, during the Revolutionary War, the American submersible craft Turtle attempted to attach a time bomb to the hull of British Admiral Richard Howe’s flagship Eagle in New York Harbor. It was the first use of a submarine in warfare.

Submarines were first built by Dutch inventor Cornelius van Drebel in the early 17th century, but it was not until 150 years later that they were first used in naval combat. David Bushnell, an American inventor, began building underwater mines while a student at Yale University. Deciding that a submarine would be the best means of delivering his mines in warfare, he built an eight-foot-long wooden submersible that was christened the Turtle for its shape. Large enough to accommodate one operator, the submarine was entirely hand powered. Lead ballast kept the craft balanced.

Donated to the Patriot cause after the outbreak of war with Britain in 1775, Ezra Lee piloted the craft unnoticed out to the 64-gun HMS Eagle in New York Harbor on September 7, 1776. As Lee worked to anchor a time bomb to the hull, he could see British seamen on the deck above, but they failed to notice the strange craft below the surface. Lee had almost secured the bomb when his boring tools failed to pe*****te a layer of iron sheathing. He retreated, and the bomb exploded nearby, causing no harm to either the Eagle or the Turtle.

During the next week, the Turtle made several more attempts to sink British ships on the Hudson River, but each time it failed, due to the operator’s lack of skill. Only Bushnell was really able to competently execute the submarine’s complicated functions, but because of his physical frailty he was unable to pilot the Turtle in any of its combat missions. During the Battle of Fort Lee, the Turtle was lost when the American sloop transporting it was sunk by the British.

Despite the failures of the Turtle, General George Washington gave Bushnell a commission as an Army engineer, and the drifting mines he constructed destroyed the British frigate Cereberus and wreaked havoc against other British ships. After the war, he became commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stationed at West Point. May we all prove ourselves worthy of their sacrifice. God Bless to All!!

09/06/2026

September 6, 2026

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125 years ago today, September 6, 1901, President William McKinley was shaking hands at the Pan-American Exhibition in Buffalo, New York, when a 28-year-old anarchist named Leon Czolgosz approached him and fired two shots into his chest. The president rose slightly on his toes before collapsing forward, saying “be careful how you tell my wife.”

Czolgosz moved over the president with the intent of firing a third shot but was wrestled to the ground by McKinley’s bodyguards. McKinley, still conscious, told the guards not to hurt his assailant. Other presidential attendants rushed McKinley to the hospital where they found two bullet wounds: one bullet had superficially punctured his sternum and the other had dangerously entered his abdomen. He was rushed into surgery and seemed to be on the mend by September 12. Later that day, however, the president’s condition worsened rapidly, and, on September 14, McKinley died from gangrene that had gone undetected in the internal wound. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was immediately sworn in as president.

Czolgosz, a Polish immigrant, grew up in Detroit and had worked as a child laborer in a steel mill. As a young adult, he gravitated toward socialist and anarchist ideology. He claimed to have killed McKinley because he was the head of what Czolgosz thought was a corrupt government. Czolgosz was convicted and executed in an electric chair on October 29, 1901. The unrepentant killer’s last words were “I killed the president because he was the enemy of the good people, the working people.” His electrocution was allegedly filmed by Thomas Edison.

On September 16, after receiving a funeral befitting a president in Washington, D.C., McKinley’s coffin was transported by train to his hometown of Canton, Ohio, for burial. God Bless to All!!

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