This story was passed on to us by one of our Beacon Readers:
I am inspired by my son.
Alec Albright is 13 years old and a member of the USAF Civil Air Parol, Sikorsky Memorial Airport, Stratford Connecticut.
As a member he has developed a deep devotion to the military and recognizes the sacrifices made. Alec was recently inspired by an article he read in his VOLUNTEER Magazine, produced by the Civil Air Patrol. The commander was asking that people support recent legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to volunteer members of Civil Air Patrol for their service in WWII.
During the war, volunteers sank Uboats, many died, and they utilized their own planes in service to protect the homeland. Alec has since created a petition to gain support for this bill.
In the midst of the busyness, as we close in on barbecues and family plans for July 4th, take a moment to stop and ponder the profound courage it must have taken for our Founding Fathers to write and adopt the Declaration of Independence. Enjoy two inspiring videos on the document that changed history—and on the courage of those who adopted it.
From the History Channel:
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In the video below, Jonna Doolittle Hoppes shares some great stories about her Grandfather, the famous General, Jimmy Doolittle, from her book 'Calculated Risk.'
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She concludes with this: "My grandfather used to say that we were all put on this earth for a purpose. And that purpose in life was to make this world a better place in which to live. He said we could do that by painting a picture, writing a poem, building a bridge, combating injustice or prejudice, and in a thousand other ways."
"His story is fairly well known, but as I look around this room, I see other stories, equally as important, other stories that really should be told. And what started out as a mission for me to protect my grandparents became something a lot more important, and that is to preserve history."
Early this year, a friend of the Joe Foss Institute in South Dakota ran across a videotape of Joe, in 1984, meeting with veterans at a Veterans Hospital. The tape was being given away by a local library and it was eventually sent to us.
The video, produced by the Veterans Administration, is classic Joe. He loved to tell stories, he loved to meet with veterans--especially injured veterans--and to talk about our freedoms. Enjoy a look back into the archives.
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We thought it would be a good idea to present a concise answer to the question, “What is Veteran’s Day?” for students. The Joes Foss Institute’s goals are to promote the American values of Patriotism, Public Service, Civic Involvement, & Freedom to everyone, but especially children. On this year’s Veteran’s Day, we think it is particularly important to make sure students are aware of what this holiday means, and how important it is to honor our country’s veterans and their sacrifices.
There are two basic answers to “What is Veteran’s Day?” Firstly, we would like to tackle where the holiday came from. It is based on Armistice Day which celebrated the end of World War I, on November 11, 1918 (also popularly thought of as the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Armistice Day began under President Woodrow Wilson’s declaration, and later become known as Veteran’s Day under President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954, to further celebrate the sacrifices of World War II vets (and future veterans).
With Veterans Day fast-approaching, here at the Joe Foss Institute we wanted to share some patriotic quotes. Our mission is to promote and teach Patriotism, Public Service, Integrity, and a deep appreciation for America’s Freedoms. Keeping that in mind, we hope that the following quotes will not only inspire, but can be used to help teach and interest children about our shared American values.
The Treaty of Versailles was signed 91 years ago, on June 28, 1919, to officially end the first World War.
The actual fighting had ended in November of 1918, upon the signing of the armistice between the Allies and Germany, but the War was not officially over until the Treaty was signed at the Paris Peace Conference.
