FReeper Canteen ~ The Star Spangled Banner ~ 04 March 2021

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

[Kathy in Alaska]

~ 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

Boston Pops

Barbershop Quartet

Josh Groban

Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Mannheim Steamroller

Francis Scott Key

Lynyrd Skynyrd ~ Red, White, and Blue

Mannheim Steamroller ~ America The Beautuful

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.

[PROCON]

It was warmer today, 62ish so nice enough. I had a tooth filling fall out yesterday so I was at the dentist today getting that fixed....it’s always something.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Pro...no matter what “they” say, it is AMERICA’S Nation Anthem! And I like it.

[luvie]

Chris Botti~The Star Spangled Banner

[radu]

I thought it was warmer than that already. That’s not t-shirt weather. That’s light jacket weather. LOL Still warmer than we were. It was 58 while I was out this afternoon and is supposed to be upper 60s tomorrow.

Ohboyohboyohboy! A trip to the dentist. How fun. NOT!
THAT, I don’t envy you. :-)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Several dry days for you...HURRAH!!!

[radu]

Howdy, luvie.

Another nice day down there today?

Have you seen the recent “visitor” hanging around since you two spooked each other a few days ago? >^..^<

[radu]

We need the dry stretch. It’s pretty soupy here.

[luvie]

Hi, there. Yes, it was very nice and warm here today. The wind...and sand...are supposed to blow tomorrow, so I’m not looking forward to that. Haven’t seen the visitor again. Maybe he learned his lesson. LOL!

Hope it finally stopped raining there! Are your daffodils blooming yet?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Mayor, and thank you for today’s sustenance for body and soul.

We made it through hump day. HURRAH! Now I need a nap.

Hope your week is going well, but with plenty of rest.

[Songcraft]

Hello!

I posted this the other day in the "Marvin Gaye" thread.   I hope you don't mind me posting it here again.   (Marvin Gaye liked "The Star Spangled Banner", and there are several different versions of him doing it out there.)

     "The Star Spangled Banner" - Marvin Gaye

[Kathy in Alaska]

In first....radu grabs the gold!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

And in second....lightman snags the silver!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

And rounding out the top three....Pro bags the bronze!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

"...No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And there it is. Thanks, Fiji.

[radu]

Yuck. Dust storm. I don’t envy you that! The poor kitties aren’t going to be happy either, being stuck outside in that mess.

Maybe the stranger DID get spooked bad enough to stay way. Good! You don’t need him hanging around spraying everything and eating your cats’ food.

Yes, the rain is gone for the next week. Nary a cloud today but we’ll have a few over the weekend.

A few of the early daffodils have started blooming and some of the others are starting to come up. Tulips are coming up too. Soon there’ll be splashes of color all around.

[luvie]

This is what happens when spring comes here. Sandstorms. Is it any wonder I drag my feet, wanting winter [without Arctic ice] to stay for a while?

It’s going to be so pretty when all your flowers and trees start blooming. I just wonder if ours will. Right now it’s as dead as dead can be. Ugh!

[hoagy62]

This particular version has been my favorite ever since I first heard it.

Every year, the Kentucky State High School Choir gathers in Louisville for concerts. They stay at the Hyatt Regency in Louisville, which has a massive center atrium. Every night at 10 o'clock, the singers gather at the balconies of their respective floors and sing 'The Star-Spangled Banner'. They do it slowly and with great reverence. The acoustics in the atrium are almost cathedral-like and makes it sound just that much more special.

This version is from 2019. IMO, it's the best I've heard them do. It never fails to bring tears to my eyes.

2019 Kentucky State High School Choir-The Star-Spangled Banner

[Kathy in Alaska]

And we thank you for that oath 45 years ago. Thank you for your service to our country.

[radu]

That’s a problem living in the desert. All the warm fronts/cold fronts move through and kick up the sand. Yuck!

They move through here and fire up storms and tornados.

There’s a type of tree (don’t know what they are) that puts out small white blossoms before Bradford pears do and I’m waiting for them to start. Once they do, I’ll know spring is finally here.

We’ve had daffodils bloom in December so they don’t count as a clue. :-)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Welcome to the Canteen, Jolla. We thank you for your service to our country.