AMERICAN PATRIOT
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THE CODE TALKERS OF THE PACIFIC WAR
CHARLES IVES INSURANCE SALES TO MASTER COMPOSER
COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG LEARNING FROM THE PAST
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AMERICAN PATRIOT ORIGINAL WWII CODETALKER DIES
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LEARNING FROM THE PAST
CHARLES IVES INSURANCE SALES TO MASTER COMPOSER
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THE MAN WHO FED THE WORLD
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ORIGINAL WWII CODETALKER DIES 4 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Allen Dale June, one of the Navajo Code Talkers who served the U.S. military during World War II by sending messages in their native language, died last month at age 91. That leaves alive only two of the 29 originals who developed the code, though several hundred Navajos later participated. At a time when America's best cryptographers were falling short, these farmers and shepherds fresh from the reservation fashioned an ingenious and successful communications solution. The Code Talkers were used to confuse the Japanese, who often tried to intercept American military messages over the air. Taking part in every Marine assault as the U.S. fought to control over the Pacific, they sent thousands of messages on Japanese troop movements, battlefield tactics and other communications so critical that historians today consider them crucial to our winning the war. Indeed, some have speculated that the Allies would not have been able to win the pivotal battles of Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal without the code talkers. When June first tried to sign up for the Marines in his hometown at age of 16, he was told he was too young. He traveled to another reservation town and lied about this age in order to enlist. During his three and a half years in service with the Marines, June was involved in many major battles and crossed the Equator eight times. Tribal Council Speaker Lawrence Morgan said the Navajo Nation has lost a great warrior. “His unique service to his country brought positive attention to the Navajo Nation,” Morgan said in a statement. “He will be missed.”
In 1982, the code talkers were given a Certificate of Recognition by President Reagan who also named August 14, 1982 “Navajo Code Talkers Day.” On December 21, 2000 the U.S. Congress passed, and President Clinton signed, a law which awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to all 29 originals. In July 2001, President Bush personally presented the Medal to four surviving Code Talkers at a ceremony held in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC. Gold medals were presented to the families of the others code talkers no longer living. A recent popular movie, Windtalkers, honored their contribution.
Code Talkers were also used during the Korean War and the early part of the Vietnam War. Once LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CODE TALKERS CHECK OUTNAVAJO THE FAIR’S WEBtheir role in the war was declassified in 1968, SITE FOR VISITOR INFORrecognition from a grateful nation came in waves.
COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG LEARNING FROM THE PAST
Colonial Williamsburg is the crown jewel of Virginia’s Historic Triangle of Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown, which welcomes roughly four million tourists a year. Colonial Williamsburg itself is a several hundred acre historic district filled with the buildings, streets and squares that, from 1699 to 1780, formed Virginia’s colonial capital. For much of the 18th century, the city was the center of government, education and culture in Virginia — hence the American Colonies — and its inhabitants, at one time or another, included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, James Monroe, James Madison, and dozens more who shaped early America. The motto of Colonial Williamsburg is “that the future may learn from the past,” and the Historic Area is an interpretation of a Colonial city with exhibits that include dozens of authentic or accurately recreated colonial buildings. Not just a museum, however, the town is alive: interpreters work and dress as they did in the era, speak as the colonists did, and visitors can move among them to get the flavor of life in the colonial era. Colonial Williamsburg has become a destination spot for world leaders, including several U.S. presidents. In 1983, the United States hosted the first World Economic Conference there, and Jamestown (the original Virginia settlement) and Yorktown (where the Revolutionary War ended) are linked to the historic area by the bucolic Colonial Parkway, operated by the National Park Service. A popular but distinctly non-colonial family destination, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, a Europe-themed park with rides, is nearby. 6 AMERICAN PATRIOT
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The Governor’s Palace This is one of the two largest buildings at Colonial Williamsburg. When the city was the capital of the Virginia Colony, the Governor's Palace was the official residence of the royal governor. The original building took 16 years to construct and was completed in 1721. One of its other illustrious residents was Thomas Jefferson.
Bruton Parish Church This Episcopal Church is both a part of the historic area and the most active parish in Southern Virginia. It has been restored to the colonial era, and name plates on its pews commemorate famous worshippers like George Washington and John Tyler. The church still uses a bell cast in 1761, which rang to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. SEE SCENES FROM THE STORY OF A PATRIOT A WELCOME MOVIE SHOWN AT THE VISITOR’S CENTER AMERICAN PATRIOT 7
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CHARLES IVES INSURANCE SALES TO MASTER COMPOSER So unconcerned was Charles Ives with his status as an artist, his colleagues in the insurance business were often surprised to hear he was a composer. For 32 years, Ives made a living selling insurance, quietly writing the compositions that would distinguish himself as America’s first, and arguably best, composer of modern instrumental music. Working in his off-hours, he was a prolific, perfectionist composer. Ives set out to integrate the classical tradition, American and European popular music, church music, and the burgeoning concept of experimental music in pieces ranging from spare piano sonatas to full symphonies.
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Though many of his pieces are now recognized as masterworks, he worked in obscurity throughout most of his career; many works would go unperformed for years. He possessed classic New England Yankee industriousness and stubbornness — legendary composing colleague Arthur Schoenburg regarded Ives as a monument to artistic integrity. Unconcerned with critical or popular attention, Ives was free to construct works that shirked convention, while elevating the essence of American popular music into the canon of “serious” music. Though he would reach acclaim near the end of his life, Ives had little patience for criticism and outreach, resisting the technologies of radio and phonographic records. Born in Danbury, CT in 1874, Ives was steeped in American music. His father was a bandleader; the influence of an open-minded approach to music embodied in 19th century bands would deeply impress a young Ives, reinforced by his training as a church organist at age 14. He had knowledge and respect for the “people’s music” that informed his works and separated him from other more staid composers. Ives excelled in sport and music, earning a slot at Yale University. Educated in a traditional style, Ives completed his first symphony as his senior thesis, as well as numerous choral pieces and a campaign song for William McKinley. After graduation, and seeking security for his young family, Ives entered the insurance business. He was successful and established his own insurance agency, where he would remain until 1930.
The early part of the 20th century was a productive musical period for Ives. As his compositions matured, new experimental approaches gave his sound a distinct character. Around 1900, he completed his Second symphony, which adopted several new techniques including musical quotations (a use of a portion of an existing work to augment a composition) and experimental dissonance. “Central Park in the Dark”, from 1906, is considered the first radical piece of music of the 20th century. Ives attempted to evoke the feeling of walking through Manhattan, comparing the sounds of music clubs spilling out onto the street, and the space and feeling of the Central Park woods on a dark, misty night. Also in 1906, Ives penned his famous “unanswered question”, an unusual arrangement of trumpets, flutes, and strings in a mysterious style. Ives composed until 1927 when illness forced him into retirement. The remaining years of his life saw a gradual acceptance of his work in Europe and the U.S. Listeners would heed his advice toward his challenging compositions: “Use your ears like men!” He traveled extensively as his works began to be performed worldwide. His Third symphony won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1946. Passing in 1954, Ives had lived a life of principle, dedicated not to fame but to music.
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MERIWETHER LEWIS FORGOTTEN HERO This fall, two centuries after leading the famous expedition that bears his name, Meriwether Lewis was finally honored as a genuine American hero at his grave site just off the Natchez Trace Parkway in Tennessee. PICTURED ABOVE: Lewis and Clark on the Lower Columbia by C.M. Russell 10 AMERICAN PATRIOT
The Lewis and Clark Expedition took place from 1804 to 1806 and was the first overland expedition undertaken by the U.S. government to the Pacific coast and back. Lewis, along with William Clark, laid much of the groundwork for the westward expansion of the new country. When they returned from the exploration, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were hailed as heroes, but history soon pushed Lewis into the background, in part because of his untimely and, some say, mysterious death. Lewis was born in 1774 on a plantation near Charlottesville, Virginia. He spent his childhood in the wilderness and developed a love of hunting and exploring. As a young man, Lewis fought against the Whiskey Rebellion. From there, he became an officer in the army and fought against Native Americans in the Northwest Territory. He became expert on Native Americans and their languages.
President Thomas Jefferson recruited Lewis to be his private secretary in 1801. For two years, Jefferson prepared him to lead a group of explorers across the Louisiana Purchase. To prepare, Lewis studied navigation, plants, and animals. He also recruited Clark as his assistant. The epic trip itself took three years, with the members of the expedition suffered many hardships as they navigated the Missouri River, crossed the Rocky Mountains, and followed the Columbia River to the west coast and the Pacific. During that journey, Meriwether kept a detailed journal of events, drawn maps, collected plant specimens, and managed to pass peacefully through Indian territory. Upon his return, Lewis was named a Brigadier General, given a land grant, and appointed governor of the Louisiana Territory. Then, in October 1809, he was found dead from gunshot wounds at an Inn. Historians have long debated whether Lewis committed suicide or was murdered; the mystery has never been solved. Among the hundreds attending the recent gravesite event was Peyton “Bud” Clark, a direct descendent of William Clark spoke about how is ancestor respected Lewis, his partner and mentor: “They were ‘sons of the Revolution,’ drawn together by an unmistakable chemistry. William Clark wrote that Meriwether Lewis was a man of impeccable integrity... This celebration to honor Meriwether Lewis is long overdue. He truly is an American hero.” FOLLOW LEWIS AND CLARK’S TRAIL AMERICAN PATRIOT 11
THE MAN WHO FED THE WORLD 12 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Arguably the greatest American of the 20th century. The man who defused the population bomb. The man who fed the world. The father of the Green Revolution. These were just some of the descriptions in obituaries for Norman Borlaug who died recently at the age of 95. And yet not many Americans knew the name of this kindly and modest Iowan. Born in 1914 in rural Iowa, where he was educated in a one-room schoolhouse, Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his work ending the India-Pakistan food shortage of the mid-1960s. He spent most of his life in poor countries, teaching the impoverished farmers in India, Mexico, South America, Africa and elsewhere the Green Revolution agricultural techniques that prevented the global famines widely predicted when the world population began to skyrocket following World War II. It has been estimated that Borlaug’s efforts, along with like-minded colleagues, saved the lives of one billion human beings.
in wheat production within three years and India in the production of all cereals within six years.
As a young scientist, Borlaug helped develop the basis of the Green Revolution: hybrid crops selectively bred for vigor; shuttle breeding, which decreased crop disease; and cereals that can grown in all climates. The result was more reliable harvests and tremendous increases in output. Though the message spread fast, in the mid-1960s India and Pakistan were exceptions and famine struck. Borlaug arranged for a convoy of 35 trucks to carry high-yield seeds to India and Pakistan. Operating despite a war between the two countries, he helped the Pakistanis become self-sufficient
In the late 1980s, Borlaug found private funding his programs in African. The final triumph came when the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a major expansion of high-yield agriculture throughout Africa. Borlaug received many awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. One other legacy: he founded the World Food Prize, which has become the equivalent of a Nobel Prize in agricultural science. It is based near his hometown in Iowa.
After this triumph, and the Nobel Peace Prize, Borlaug turned to Africa. At that point, Borlaug became the target of environmentalists who denounced him because his techniques used pesticides and fertilizer. As the criticism intensified, he told an interviewer that Western environmentalists were “fashionable elitists” and who “have never experienced the physical sensation of hunger. They do their lobbying from comfortable office suites in Washington or Brussels.”
WATCH NORMAN BOURLAG SPEAK ABOUT HIS LEGACY
Pictured Left: Inspecting ears of hybrid seed corn. Reinbeck, Iowa. September, 1939. AMERICAN PATRIOT 13
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Every ship that comes to America got its chart from Columbus. —
RALPH WALDO EMERSON POET AND WRITER
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THIS WEEK IN
AMERICAN HISTORY 1956. New York Yankees right-hander Don Larsen pitched the first no-hitter in the history of the World Series. Even better, it was a perfect game — no runs, no hits and no errors, and no batter reached first base. The Yanks ended up winning the championship against cross-river rival Brooklyn Dodgers, the last all-New York World Series until 2000.
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