The great thing about being old is you forget everything you knew at age eighteen when you knew it all. So little things trigger other little things in your brain and you research to find out what it is that you don't know.
Recently with the turmoil in the Middle East and Tripoli coming up in the news I remembered that in school we used to sing all the songs of the military units, including the Marine Corps Hymn below, which starts off "From the Halls of Montezuma, To the Shores of Tripoli". Curious I thought, what was that all about?
So with a bit of checking I found out that the Halls of Montezuma refers to the Mexican - American War (1846-1848), when the Marines made their famed assault on Chapultepec Palace the "Halls of Montezuma", cutting down the Mexican colors and running up the flag of the United States.
In a period a bit earlier, the War with Tripoli (1801-1805), the Marines leading Mercenaries over six hundred miles of Libyan desert captured the fortress at Derne, Tripoli. It was here for the first time that an American flag flew over a captured fortification in the "Old World".
So now you know the origin of "Halls of Montezuma and the Shores of Tripoli" - but maybe kids don't sing those songs in school anymore. Source material for the above citations can be found at Wikipedia History of the United States Marine Corps and from a brief Marine Corps History
From the Halls of Montezuma,
To the Shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of UNITED STATES MARINES.
Our flag's unfurled to every breeze,
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in every clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far off northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job --
The UNITED STATES MARINES.
Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded
By UNITED STATES MARINES.
The Marines are such a cult, aren't they? A good and necessary one, but a cult nonetheless. These guys LOVE being Marines. The experience is steeped in so much heraldic lore, with all these tales of tradition and honor. These guys aren't just military; they're Marines -- a way different thing. The guys I know who were Marines, although they are ancient and stooped these days, still play that tough guy role. It's a lifetime profession, it seems. You don't become an ex-Marine; it's permanent.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, It's almost as if . . .
Marines - The Few, The Proud. Yes, the Corps is a unique group. I dated a Marine for several years, he had been a pilot and always a Marine.
ReplyDeleteThe Marine Hymn is quite a catchy tune, when I listened to it even I wanted to enlist.
Annie, I was spending some time going back through posts that I had missed during the last few weeks, and I came across the one "For Mare, Mon Ami" I am not certain that I am the "mare" in that title, but I like to believe I am and I am so moved by the beautiful thought and poem. It means SO much to me that I really can't even express it.
ReplyDeleteThank you dear friend....
mare
Yes, Mare you are Mare, Mon Ami. I am glad you got to see it. I am not an overtly demonstrative person, but you truly were in my heart and mind each and every day. Thank you...
ReplyDeleteAnnie, I can't even begin to tell you what that means to me..
ReplyDeleteBIG hugs to you
mare