AMERICAN PATRIOT
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FEBRUARY 23, 2011
DISNEY’S DREAM PARK AUDIE MURPHY AMERICA’S MOST DECORATED HERO
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
AMERICAN PATRIOT AUDIE MURPHY AMERICA’S MOST DECORATED HERO
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6 DISNEY’S DREAM PARK
TWO DAYS OF VICTORY V-E AND V-J DAYS
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
THIS WEEK IN AMERICAN HISTORY
AUDIE MURPHY AMERICA’S MOST DECORATED HERO When Audie Leon Murphy said, “Freedom is what America means to the world,” he really meant it. Murphy was the most highly decorated soldier in World War II; he fought with incredible valor and bravery. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Murphy tried to enlist in the military, but was denied because he was only 17. Having adjusted the date on his birth certificate, he tried again but was turned down for being too short by the Navy, the Army Paratroopers, and the Marines. He finally made it into the Army, still under the legal age. Initially, Murphy was sent to Northern Africa where he saw no action, but worked hard training and patrolling. Later that year, he was assigned to participate in the invasion of Sicily and was promoted to Corporal. He then fought on the mainland of Italy and, after it was secured, his division traveled to the south of France where it battled German forces. Murphy exceeded expectations in combat. He began earning awards for his valor and competence under great duress. After seven weeks of combat, his division had lost 4,500 soldiers. Murphy, however, continued to be promoted and also earned two Silver Stars during this period.
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At the Battle of Holtzwihr, perhaps the peak of his stunning achievements, Murphy acted courageously while organizing his troops and fighting off the enemy even after having been injured. Wounded in the leg during heavy fire, he continued a nearly single-handed battle against a German onslaught for almost an hour. As his remaining men came forward, he quickly organized them to conduct a counterattack, which ultimately drove the enemy off. For these actions, Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor and the Legion of Merit. By the time he was released from active service in September 1945, he had received 33 U.S. medals, plus five medals from France and one from Belgium. Eventually, Murphy received every American medal available at the time; 5 of them more than once. In the postwar years, Murphy moved to Hollywood and became an actor. At Universal Studios, he was cast in twenty-six films over the next fifteen years. He mostly played the hero in films such as Beyond Glory, The Quiet American, and A Time for Dying. Murphy also wrote his autobiography, To Hell and Back, which became an instant bestseller in 1949. Universal Studios made the film in 1955, with Murphy playing himself. After his contract ended with Universal Studios, Murphy starred in more than a dozen movies under in-
Murphy’s charmed life came to an end when he was killed prematurely in a plane crash in 1971. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors, and his gravesite remains the second most visited stone in the cemetery — behind only that of John F. Kennedy. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE EVOCATIVE TRAILER FOR TO HELL AND BACK
dependent contracts. Murphy also had a short but successful stint as a country music writer often teaming up with singers like Eddy Arnold, Charley Pride, and Roy Clark. AMERICAN PATRIOT 5
DISNEY’S DREAM PARK
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"To all who come to this happy place — welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, dreams and the hard facts that have created America . . . with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world." — WALT DISNEY, JULY 17, 1955 So spoke Walt Disney in dedicating the
called Adventureland; Frontierland, where
Disneyland Park with the help of, among
one could relive the pioneer days of the
others, Disney’s good friend Ronald Reagan.
American frontier; Fantasyland with it’s large
Disneyland holds the distinction of being
Sleeping Beauty Castle; and Tomorrowland,
the only theme park to be designed and built
to look at the “marvels of the future.” Disney
under the direct supervision of Mr. Disney
stayed close to every detail of the construc-
himself. Having created the most popular
tion, and he visited the site in Anaheim sev-
cartoon characters and fantasy locales in the
eral times a week. Progress was slow but by
world, young fans naturally started asking to
the summer of 1955, the park was opened
see where Mickey Mouse and Snow White
to the public. The whole nation tuned in as
lived. At first, Disney resisted giving studio
the dedication was televised.
tours— he thought fans would find behindthe-scenes movie making boring. But, even-
The park was an immediate sensation. By
tually, he came up with the idea of building
the time its 10th anniversary rolled around,
a display of the characters on a few acres
over 50 million visitors had passed through
near the studio. From there, his vaunted
its gates. Today, Disneyland welcomes up to
imagination took a leap, and he began to plan
65,000 visitors a day and has the most cu-
a grand 160 acre park that would encom-
mulative attendance of any theme park in
pass his ideas about American life.
the world, having welcomed close to 600 million visitors.
Once he embraced the idea, Disney approached it with his usual energy and attention to detail. He planned out the key sections: Main Street, U.S.A., a turn of the century
WALT DISNEY OPENING DAY SPEECH 2010 DISNEYLAND VACATION PACKAGE
American town; an exotic tropical locale he
AMERICAN PATRIOT 7
HOW TO
LIVE UNITED: JOIN HANDS. OPEN YOUR HEART. LEND YOUR MUSCLE.
FIND YOUR VOICE. GIVE 10%. GIVE 100%.
GIVE 110%. GIVE AN HOUR. GIVE A SATURDAY. THINK OF WE BEFORE ME. REACH OUT A HAND TO ONE AND
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TWO DAYS OF VICTORY
V-E AND V-J DAYS
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American’s who were around in 1945 for the Victory in Europe (V-E) Day and Victory in Japan (V-J) Day will never forget the pure joy, exhilaration and relief that swept across the country. Millions turned out in the streets for two of the most memorable demonstrations in history. V-E Day took place first, on May 8. By 1944,
As raucous as the V-E celebrations were in the
World War II had turned overwhelmingly in
U.S., they were exceeded several months later
favor of the Allies. U.S., British and Canadian
when, on August 14, news arrived that Japan
forces raced to the Rhine, clearing most of France
had surrendered unconditionally to the Allied
and Belgium of German forces by October. On
Powers in World War II. Japan’s capitulation
the Eastern Front, Soviet armies swept through
in the Pacific brought World War II to a long-
the Balkans and Eastern Europe toward Germany.
awaited end. In Washington on August 14, U.S.
In March, the Western Allies crossed the Rhine.
President Harry S. Truman announced news of
After Hitler’s suicide, Germany ratified an uncon-
Japan's surrender in a press conference at the
ditional surrender in Berlin. It was on this day
White House: “This is the day we have been
that both the U.S. and Great Britain officially
waiting for since Pearl Harbor. This is the day
declared V-E Day; flags, banners, bonfires, huge
when Fascism finally dies, as we always knew
crowds and general rejoicing met the defeat of
it would.”
the Nazi war machine. Jubilant Americans poured into the streets for The Germans, though, fearing the Soviet prison
24-hour non-stop hours. Images from V-J Day
camps, fought on one more day against the
celebrations around the U.S. and the world re-
Russians before collapsing. Consequently, V-E
flected the overwhelming sense of joy for the end
Day was not celebrated until May 9 in Moscow,
of the long and bloody conflict. In one iconic
with a radio broadcast salute from Stalin himself:
photo taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt for Life mag-
“The age-long struggle of the Slav nations ...
azine, a uniformed sailor passionately kisses
has ended in victory. Your courage has defeated
a nurse in the midst of a crowd of people cel-
the Nazis. The war is over.”
ebrating in New York City’s Times Square.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF V-E AND V-J DAY CELEBRATIONS
AMERICAN PATRIOT 9
THE LAST LOG CABIN PRESIDENT 10 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Abraham Lincoln was the most famous populist President born in a log cabin, but James Garfield claims the honor as the last. During his brief Presidency — he was assassinated one year into his term — Garfield was noted for fighting political corruption and for renewing the prestige of the office after it had fallen into disrepute after the Civil War. Born in 1831 in Cuyahoga County OH, Garfield was fatherless at two, drove canal boat teams, earned enough money for an education at Williams College and, in 1856, returned to Hiram College in Ohio as a classics professor. Garfield was elected to the Ohio Senate in 1859 as a Republican. During the secession crisis, he advocated forcing the seceding states back into the Union. In 1862, he successfully led a brigade at Middle Creek KY against Confederate troops. At 31, Garfield became a Brigadier General, two years later a Major General of volunteers.
As President, Garfield’s most famous fight was strengthened Federal authority over the New York Customs House, the principle
During the war, Garfield was elected to Congress and became a favorite of Abraham Lincoln. He was re-elected for 18 years and became a Congressional leader. At the 1880 Republican Convention, Garfield supported his friend John Sherman for the nomination, but with the Convention deadlocked, they turned to Garfield as a compromise. In one of the tightest national elections ever, Garfield prevailed over
port of entry for goods in the U.S. He took on Senator Roscoe Conkling and the patronage wielding local politicians, and after a very nasty public battle, had a complete victory. In July 1881, he was shot by an angry attorney turned down for a consular post. Garfield lingered until September, and then died of internal bleeding and infection. Vice President Chester Arthur became President.
Democratic nominee, General Winfield Scott Hancock.
AMERICAN PATRIOT 11
DRIVE-INS COMBINING CARS + MOVIES
In 1932, Richard Hollingshead, a salesman at his family’s-owned Whiz Auto Products, had a vision of a business that combined his two interests: cars and movies. An innovator thinker, Hollingshead was always on the lookout for expansion ideas that could generate instant cash. It struck him that even in those deep Depression years, people were still going to see movies in large numbers. From this, his first notion was to create a deluxe car service center, designed like a Hawaiian Village, with food and an outdoor movie where the customers could hang out while their cars were being attended to, hopefully using Whiz Auto Products. In the driveway at his New Jersey home, Hollingshead experimented, placing a projector on this car and a radio behind the screen. The idea evolved into a movie entertainment center, and the first patent for the “DriveIn Theater” was issued in 1933. With a small investment, he opened the first drive-in in Camden NJ. The charge: 25 cents a car and 25 cents a person. The idea caught fire. By the post-WWII era, peaking in the late 1950s, there were some 5,000 drive-ins. The appeal: it was a place the family all could enjoy, while giving teenagers a private place to park and date. The drive-ins also cashed in
on the fast-food boom, serving pizza, hot dogs, popcorn and more. Right through the early 1960s, drive-ins got bigger and smarter, and the sound quality improved; a system of individual sound for each car had become the norm. The largest drivein theater in patron capacity was the AllWeather Drive-In of Copiague NY. It had space for 2,500 cars, an indoor 1,200 seat viewing area, kid's playground, a full service restaurant and a shuttle train. By the 1970s, drive-ins started to lose popularity even faster than they had gained it. So many other — and more comfortable — forms of entertainment came to market, and drive-ins deteriorated. Nearly 90% disappeared and, today, only a few hundred continue to exist. In recent years, however, the drivein has been making its comeback, and hundreds of theaters nation-wide are living on the nostalgia for simpler times and clever business twists, like the guerilla drive-in trend, in which theaters feature cult classics or independent flicks. DRIVE-IN THEATER PRESHOW SLIDES
AMERICAN PATRIOT 13
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“What more is necessary to make us a happy and a prosperous people? Still one thing more, fellowcitizens — a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.”
— THOMAS JEFFERSON FIRST PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL ADDRESS, MARCH 4, 1801
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THIS WEEK IN
AMERICAN HISTORY
1976. Black History Month arose from the older Negro History Week, originally initiated by scholar and professor Carter G. Woodson (shown here) in 1926. It is a full month set aside to learn, honor, and celebrate the achievements of black men and women throughout history. Since its inception, Black History Month has always been celebrated in February because, according to Woodson’s reasoning, it was the birthday month of Abraham Lincoln and Frederic Douglass. The painfully poor son of a slave, Carter Woodson earned a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Chicago and, in 1912, became only the second African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University. Woodson used his hard-earned education to teach in public schools and at Howard University, and to amplify the important role that African-Americans have played in American history. AMERICAN PATRIOT 15
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