Our National Anthem

On Sept. 14, 1814, U.S. soldiers at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry raised a huge American flag to celebrate a crucial victory over British forces during the War of 1812. The sight of those “broad stripes and bright stars” inspired Francis Scott Key to write a song that officially became the United States national anthem ON THIS DAY IN 1931. Key’s words gave new significance to a national symbol and started a tradition through which generations of Americans have invested the flag with their own meanings and memories.

"He said, I don't like to brag, but we're kinda proud of that ragged old flag....you see, we got a little hole in that flag there when Washington took it across the Delaware, and it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key sat watching it, writing say can you see."

(Taken from the National Museum of American History and Johnny Cash's Ragged Old Flag.)

J.E. Morrison was Clinton County, Ky's Most-Decorated Korean War Soldier

"A Clinton County, Kentucky warrior, breaded and grimy, is resting today, back from the rugged fighting on mountainous Heartbreak Ridge in Korea," wrote Robert Schakne, Korean War Correspondent for WLW Radio in Cincinnati on Oct. 4, 1951. "The soldier is James E. Morrison of Seminary, Kentucky. He is enjoying some well-earned rest, along with a hot shower and hot food."

The writer got it right. James Earl Morrison was a warrior. He accepted the challenge of leading his unit from Co. C of the 23rd Infantry, 2nd Division, when no one else there on Heartbreak Ridge would. And, in doing so, he displayed exceptional valor on more than one occasion, rising to the rank of Master Sargeant.

While you may prefer to call it by it's formal name, Korean Conflict, Mr. Morrison preferred to call it a war.

On Sept. 2, 1951, while running across a field during an enemy attack on Heartbreak Ridge, he picked up a wounded soldier, slung him across his back and ran as fast as he could toward a first aid station. Along the way, they were hit by a grenade, which severely injured J.E.'s leg. It was his ticket home from a war where not much hope for survival could be seen. But J.E. refused to leave his troops behind and, with unfathomable valor I can't begin to comprehend, led his men through violent enemy fire, while being completely surrounded, until the Marines were able to break through one of the lines and rescue them two weeks later.

As the years went by, J.E. rarely spoke of the war. Most people who knew him were not aware of his heroism until the remains of Pvt. Joe Elmore were brought back home a couple of years ago, 68 years after he had been declared MIA, and J.E. began to talk about his tour of duty in North Korea. Many of you probably saw the photo of him at Pvt. Elmore's casket, standing at attention, saluting. His son David got him the cap you see in the photo. He was so proud of it.

Last year, when artist Norma Anderson unveiled her portrait of him, someone remarked what a great honor it was for him. As he began to reply, his voice became weakened with emotion. Pointing at the portrait he said, "I didn't do what I did for that."

After he fell and broke his hip in the latter part of January, the doctors and hospital staff were amazed with his grit and determination as he fought his way back during rehabilitation. But, it made sense to me. He was, after all, a warrior and the path of the Warrior is lifelong, and the mastery of it is often simply staying on the path, and that he did.

J.E. Morrison died last night at the age of 91. Our warrior is fully at rest now. Although his sun has set, its light shall linger round us yet, Bright, Radiant, Blest.

He was my friend.

The Apollo 11 Mission: Fifty Years Ago

Where were you the day men walked on the moon? It was on July 20, 1969, fifty years ago today, that the world collectively held its breath as astronaut Neil Armstrong slowly backed out of the Lunar Module Eagle and cautiously climbed down a nine-rung ladder before stepping foot on the surface of the moon. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” were his now immortalized words. In the photo, his fellow astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, salutes the U.S flag during the Apollo 11 mission.

Does the Appollo 11 Flag Still Fly on the Moon?

One of the most iconic images from the Apollo 11 mission is of Buzz Aldrin saluting the American flag on the surface of the Moon. It was a standard 3-by-5-foot nylon flag, with the only modification being a hem sewed along its top edge to allow a metal rod to slide through – that gave the flag rigidity in the windless environment so that it appeared to wave. The flag was attached to an 8-foot flagpole, gold-anodized aluminum tube, that the astronauts planted into the lunar soil.

HOW WAS THE FLAG AND ASEMBLY CARRIED TO THE MOON?

According to NASA, the overall Lunar Flag Assembly, including a stainless steel case to protect the flag against temperature extremes, weighed 9 pounds 7 ounces. The assembly was attached to the forward landing leg of the Lunar Module Eagle three days before launch.

The video here shows Apollo 11 astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin deploying the flag on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969. The split screen shows the live TV downlink on the left, synchronized with film taken by an automatic camera set up inside the LM on the right.

SO WHAT ABOUT THE FLAG TODAY?

The flag left by Apollo 11 cannot be seen in recent years by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and is presumably no longer standing. The film taken from inside the lunar module as the astronauts lifted off from the Moon begins after the module is already airborne and the flag cannot be seen, but Aldrin claims he caught a glimpse of the flag getting knocked over during liftoff. But, over the next three years, five more flags joined the one left by Apollo 11. Photographs show that the flags left by Apollo 12, 16 and 17 appear to be still standing. On the later landings, astronauts planted the flags farther from the lunar module. The status of the Apollo 14 and 15 flags cannot be determined conclusively, although it looks like the Apollo 14 flag took quite a beating from the lunar module engine exhaust during liftoff.

ALL WAS NOT LOST!

The good news is that, flag-wise, all was not lost from the Apollo 11's trip to the moon. The flag that Apollo 17 left on the Moon was a flag that went to the Moon and back on Apollo 11. It had hung on a wall in Mission Control until it made a return trip to the Moon, this time to stay.

Medal of Honor Recipient Was Born 100 Years Ago Today

Medal of Honor recipient, WWII hero and native Lt. Garlin Murl Conner of Aaron, Kentucky was born 100 years ago today, in 1919. "Conner embodied the pure, patriotic love that builds and sustains a nation," said President Donald Trump, as he awarded the MOH to Lt. Conner's widow, Pauline, on June 26th of last year. "Lt. Conner stared down evil with the strength of a warrior and the heart of a true hero. [He] was indeed a giant. In his daring, his devotion and his duty, he was larger than life," the president said.

Tribute to a Kentucky Farm Boy

Seeing God Through Joe Elmore

To the so-called believer who said he didn't see anything that said God was behind the finding of Pfc. Joe Elmore's remains:

You weren't there with us to witness seeing the hundreds of people who came to the side of the road to welcome Pfc. Elmore as we made our journey home with him. Some were dressed in their red, white and blue, some carried flags of all sizes, and some stood at attention to salute our hero soldier. Some clapped while others waved. Some even weeped.

Psalm 46:10 says "Be still, and know that I am God." Mary did just that. She prayed for 68 years that God would bring her brother home. All the while, she became resolute and unswerving in her task. Through the decades, she steadfastly persisted and as her faith became stronger, she undoubtedly grew closer to God. Mary learned to endure and, most importantly, she never gave up. A faith unwavering and unshakable, that was God working in Mary's life.

I was there on that day when Mary and her husband, Buford, stood beside the casket that rested on the airplane's conveyer belt. I saw her weeping and I remembered how she had prayed all those years. That was my first glimpse of God in all His Glory that day.

I saw Him again after our motorcade turned onto Highway 111 from Interstate 40 at Cookeville and proceeded northward to U.S. 127 at the Kentucky state line and then on to the destination at Weldon Haddix Funeral Home.

Oh ye of little faith, you weren't there so you wouldn't have noticed, like we did, that the overwhelming majority of those folks standing alongside Highway 111 and U.S. 127 were born 'AFTER' Pfc. Joe Elmore had died in battle. Generations of people who never knew Joe saw God in all His glory that day. His message to the large crowds of people who came to see someone they never even knew was, "Look at what I did for his sister, Mary! If I can do this for her, imagine all the things I can do for you!"

I realize the family wouldn't have had to wait 68 years, and Pfc. Elmore's mom, dad, brothers and sisters would gave gotten to bury him, fully intact had his body been returned that December back in 1950, but then God wouldn't have been able to reveal Himself the way He did on August 15, 2018.

You see, God's ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. I believe God answered Mary's prayers so that He could be glorified. She was an example of Leviticus 10:3, which says "I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified."

Thousands of people saw God in all His glory on both television and in person the day Mary and her family brought Pfc. Elmore's remains home. I was honored to be there to witness it myself.

"For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." - Romans 11:36

Living In The Land of the Free Because of the Brave

73 years after the fact, one Clinton County, Kentucky soldier receives the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration awarded for gallantry and bravery at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Ten days later, the remains of another Clinton County, Kentucky soldier are identified 68 years after being declared Missing in Action. One soldier was willing to lay down his life for his country, the other one did.

Is it ironic or by grand design that the events involving 1st Lt. Garlin Murl Conner and PFC Joe Stanton Elmore happened around the 4th of July celebration? Either way, one thing is true, we are a blessed people who have a lot to be thankful for. Has it ever been more apparent than now?

Former CCHS Football Coach George Hatcher used to say, "It's a great day to be a Bulldog." Today, it is a great day to be a Clinton Countian. One drive through town and you see those beautiful patriotic banners hanging atop the light poles. Many more banners will eventually take their place. There are a lot of veterans in our county and each one deserves our respect and gratitude. God bless all of them!

Lt. Conner, PFC Elmore and all of our other great veterans were willing to lay down their lives, to pay the ultimate sacrifice so that we might enjoy freedom in America. Now, perhaps more than ever, we realize that we really are living in the land of the free because of the brave.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

What is a Veteran?

A veteran is a person who has patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. Meaning simply, someone who, at some point in life, wrote a check to the United States of America for an amount up to and including his or her life. No other commitment matches this great value made to our country." (John Sanabia, retired SEAL Chief Warrant Officer Five)

It is important that the younger generation understands what Veterans Day means. It was or is no easy task to secure and defend the freedoms that we know today here in America.

We are blessed to live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. Veteran, no matter what capacity you served during your time in the armed services, America owes you a debt of gratitude.

God bless America, and God bless our veteran's.

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY!

A Soldier's Childhood Prayer

The following was found in the knapsack of a soldier of the Civil War, after he had been slain in battle.

~~~
Near the camp fire's flickering light
In my blanket bed I lie
Gazing through the shades of night
And the twinkling stars on high
O'er me spirits in the air 
Silent vigils seem to keep
As I breathe my childhood's prayer

"Now I lay me down to sleep"

Sadly sings the whip-poor-will
In the boughs of yonder tree
Laughingly the dancing rill 
Swells the midnight melody
Foemen may be lurking near
In the canyon dark and deep
Low I breathe in Jesus' ear

"I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep" 

'Mid those stars one face I see
One the Saviour turned away
Mother, who, in Infancy
Taught my baby lips to pray
Her sweet spirit hovers near
In this lonely mountain-brake
Take me to her, Saviour, dear

"If I should die before I wake" 

Fainter grows the flickering light
As each ember slowly dies
Plaintively the birds of night
Fill the air with saddening cries
Over me they seem to cry
"You may never more awake" 
Low I lisp, If I should die

I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to take"

God Bless America!

Happy 4th of July!

Liberty And Justice For All

Just because the U.S. Supreme Court gave members of the same sex legal sanctions of marriage should not mean that preachers or churches should be required to perform or host the weddings, or for that matter, even recognize the civil union in their church. The same liberties that allow a civil union should also be afforded to those who oppose it. Both sides need to respect that. The liberty to act and believe as we choose, within the realm of justice, and to not restrict that liberty based on ones beliefs, applies to everyone. And I quote, ".. with liberty and justice for all!"