FReeper Canteen ~ The Star Spangled Banner ~ 15 September 2016

Serving The Bestest Troops and Veterans In The World !! | The Canteen Crew

[Kathy in Alaska]

The FReeper Canteen presents....

~ The Star Spangled Banner ~
Written by Francis Scott Key (1814)

Canteen Mission Statement

Showing support and boosting the morale of
our military and our allies military
and the family members of the above.
Honoring those who have served before.

The War of 1812 had been a particularly nasty conflict with the British. They had burned down the Capitol and the White House in Washington, and were set on taking the port of Baltimore, which was protected in part by Fort McHenry, just to the south.

On September 7th, 1814, during the build-up to the attack on Baltimore, two Americans, Colonel John Skinner and a lawyer and part-time poet by the name of Francis Scott Key, had gone out to one of the British ships. They had come to negotiate the release of Dr William Beanes, a friend of Key who had been seized following the attack on Washington. The British agreed, but all three had learned too much about the forthcoming attack on Baltimore and so were detained by the British on board the frigate Surprise until it was over.

The attack started on September 12th, 1814, and after an initial exchange of fire, the fleet withdrew to form an arc just outside the range of Fort McHenry's fire.

Skinner, Beanes and Key watched much of the bombardment from the British deck. The major attack started in heavy rain on the morning of September 13th. Just under three miles in the distance the three men caught glimpses of the star-shaped fort with its huge flag - 42ft long, with 8 red stripes, 7 white stripes and 15 white stars, and specially commissioned to be big enough that the British could not possibly fail to see it from a distance.

In the dark of the night of the 13th, the shelling suddenly stopped. Through the darkness they couldn't tell whether the British forces had been defeated, or the fort had fallen.

As the rain cleared, and the sun began to rise, Key peered through the lifting darkness anxious to see if the flag they had seen the night before was still flying. And so it was that he scribbled on the back of an envelope the first lines of a poem he called Defense of Fort M'Henry.

O, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming

More info here...

STAR SPANGLED BANNER

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Francis Scott Key

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The Jones Brothers ~ There’s A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere

Lee Greenwood ~ 911 Tribute

Randy Travis ~ Heroes and Friends

The Star Spangled Banner

Please remember that The Canteen is is here to support
and entertain our troops and their families,
and is family friendly.

[Soaring Feather]

Woot

[left that other site]

Hi Everybody!

(((((Standing and Putting My Right Hand Over My Heart))))

[Diana in Wisconsin]

*TOP TEN BUMP*

OUR MILITARY ROCKS! :)

[SkyDancer]

I took the opportunity to copy this in case people would like to save the lyrics and read them on occasion of Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veteran's Day and on any day the mood strikes.

Ragged Old Flag Lyrics from The Essential Johnny Cash

I walked through a county courthouse square On a park bench an old man was sitting there I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down" He said, "No, it'll do for our little town" I said, "Your old flagpole has leaned a little bit And that's a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it" He said, "Have a seat," and I sat down "Is this the first time you've been to our little town?" I said, "I think it is" 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' And it got a bad rip in New Orleans With Packingham and Jackson tuggin' at its seams And it almost fell at the Alamo Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on though ...

She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag On Flanders Field in World War I She got a big hole from a Bertha gun She turned blood red in World War II She hung limp and low by the time it was through She was in Korea and Vietnam She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam She waved from our ships upon the briny foam And now they've about quit waving her back here at home In her own good land here she's been abused She's been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused ...

And the government for which she stands Is scandalized throughout the land And she's getting threadbare and she's wearing thin But she's in good shape for the shape she's in 'Cause she's been through the fire before And I believe she can take a whole lot more ...

So we raise her up every morning, we take her down every night We don't let her touch the ground and we fold her up right On second thought, I do like to brag 'Cause I'm mighty proud of the Ragged Old Flag

[Publius]

Sergei Rachmaninov plays “The Star Spangled Banner”

[SkyDancer]

~ Good Evening ~

~ Welcome To My World ~

[Kathy in Alaska]

Sending out prayers for Arrowhead1952 as he recovers from his horrible fall.

~ The Star Spangled Banner ~

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT

Showing support and boosting the morale of
our military and our allies’ military
and the family members of the above.
Honoring those who have served before.

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No matter where you are stationed,
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We are indebted to you for your sacrifices for our Freedom.

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[ColdOne]

Hello from Idaho....love those graphics!!!!!!

[SkyDancer]

Hai ~ Thanks.

[ColdOne]

Howdy.....hello from Idaho!!! Hunting season starts tomorrow here. We had no fires so the place will be busy!

Mild weather here.. 60 during the day 20’s at night.

God Bless The troops! God Bless this country!

[ColdOne]

;)

[lightman]

I love it when a vocalist begins with the final stanza (”O thus be it e’re / when free men shall stand...”) and then invites the audience to join in the familiar stanza (”O say...”)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Ms Feather...*hugs*...you were quick even with the itching. LOL!

[Jolla]

One of my favorite memories of visiting Washington DC was seeing that flag.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

[SkyDancer]

Wow! Twenties already???

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, ML...((HUGS))...I like listening to the different versions. But I REALLY do like the original.

Sounds like you had a great pub night!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Diana...you made it!

Yes, our military does rock.

[ColdOne]

Yes, we usually have a bit of snow by now too.