Following last Saturday’s look at Jingoism and the poetry of Sir Henry Newbolt, I’ve had several requests from readers for more from that period. I’m happy to oblige. Alfred, Lord Tennyson was one of the greatest poets of the Victorian era and the entire 19th century. He was Poet Laureate of Britain for most… Continue reading Saturday Snippet: One of the legends of the Victorian era
Tag: Heroism
Saturday Snippet: By Jingo, we’ll do it!
The term “Jingoism” has become an epithet for hard-line, extreme nationalism, and as such has fallen out of favor. However, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was common among all levels of British society, and was the philosophy that informed much of the British Imperial system and its colonies. (America had its… Continue reading Saturday Snippet: By Jingo, we’ll do it!
Saturday Snippet: The legacy of a Roman legion transported to a strange world
Marc Alan Edelheit has become a well-known fantasy author, basing much of his work on the history of the legions of Rome, but in a fantasy setting that incorporates much traditional mythology such as orcs, dwarfs, elves and dragons. He does it better than most such attempts, and I’ve found myself reading and re-reading… Continue reading Saturday Snippet: The legacy of a Roman legion transported to a strange world
On the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, we lose another veteran
Many of us were enthralled by the 2001 television series “Band of Brothers“, which followed the men of “Easy” Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, through 1944 and 1945 during World War II in Europe. I still regard it as one of the finest cinematic portrayals of men in combat… Continue reading On the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, we lose another veteran
Afghanistan update #3
In a previous article, I mentioned that there were “private”, unofficial operations going on to extricate former allies and trapped Americans from Afghanistan. In a later update, I added more information. I guess it’s time for another progress report, at least the details I’m allowed to mention. It appears that the Afghan pilots who… Continue reading Afghanistan update #3
Twenty years later…
On September 11th, 2001, the world changed. I woke up in my small rectory in Louisiana that morning, wandered through to the kitchen, clicked on the kettle to make a cup of tea, and switched on the TV – just in time to see the second aircraft strike the World Trade Center. I watched,… Continue reading Twenty years later…
Afghanistan: An update on those boots on the ground
A couple of days ago I described “private” efforts by former US Special Forces personnel and others to rescue their former colleagues, people they’d trained and trusted, out of Afghanistan with their families before the Taliban could wreak revenge. Obviously, I couldn’t provide many details, because this sort of work is highly sensitive, and… Continue reading Afghanistan: An update on those boots on the ground
Some boots-on-the-ground information out of Afghanistan
I didn’t say anything about “unofficial” operations going on in Afghanistan while our forces were still there, because feedback reaching me was that there was extreme tension between the US military command there and independent groups that were doing what US troops had been forbidden to do. Basically, our troops on the ground actively… Continue reading Some boots-on-the-ground information out of Afghanistan
Saturday snippet: “Don John of Austria is going to the war”
The naval Battle of Lepanto in 1571 was a turning-point in the struggle between East and West, between Christianity and Islam. It was also the last major naval battle involving primarily oared vessels, the galleys and galleasses that were the descendants of ancient Greek and Roman biremes and triremes. After Lepanto, the Age of Sail… Continue reading Saturday snippet: “Don John of Austria is going to the war”
9/11: We remember . . . and we prepare
Nineteen years ago, in New York City, the twin towers fell to a terrorist attack like none ever experienced before. We remember those who died, and we honor their sacrifice. We also take note that there are those among us who seek to do precisely the same thing all over again, this time to our… Continue reading 9/11: We remember . . . and we prepare