Free Republic

There is controversy lately over the American flag. Marcus Lemonis is the CEO of Camping World, with some 210 locations across the nation. He loves the USA, his adopted country, and shows his love by flying huge American flags at his businesses.

Many history buffs can explain how “The Star-Spangled Banner” was penned by Francis Scott Key after he witnessed the failed British bombardment of Baltimore’s Fort McHenry in 1814, and some may also know that the song became the U.S. national anthem in 1931. Lesser known are the details of the 117-year journey that shepherded its transformation from inspired poem to officially sanctioned emblem of American patriotism. Originally printed under the title “Defence of Fort M’Henry” and set to the then-popular melody of “The Anacreontic Song,” “The Star-Spangled Banner,” as it later became known, quickly struck a chord among the citizens...

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland which crosses the Patapsco River has reportedly Collapsed within the last few minutes after being Struck by a Large Container Ship

Convention bets hard on hope Kamala pick will provide left-wing cover for sharp messaging return to the center. Vice President Joe Biden wrapped up the Democratic Convention Thursday night, putting an authentic and well-received closing argument at the end of an otherwise halting, depressing and frankly alien four-day rally, and previewing what may be the campaign’s calculation that a Kamala Harris VP provides left-wing cover for a rapid return to messaging from the Democratic Party’s political center. Biden used the 25-minute speech, delivered from an empty convention center in Wilmington, Delaware, to contrast President Donald Trump’s “darkness” with his own...

Tim O’Brien, a former campaign aide for Mike Bloomberg and a Bloomberg opinion writer, is coming under fire for posting side-by-side photos of Joe Biden at a war memorial on Memorial Day and a photo of President Trump golfing on a different day with the caption, “Different approaches to Memorial Day.” The photo of Joe Biden was taken when Biden visited Delaware Memorial Bridge Veteran's Memorial Park. It was the former vice president’s first outing since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. He and wife Jill Biden, both wearing masks, laid a wreath at a memorial wall commemorating war veterans...

Baltimore Mayor Jack Young (D) wants President Donald Trump to cancel his plans to visit the city’s Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine on Memorial Day, citing health concerns stemming from the Chinese coronavirus and the price tag attached to a presidential visit. “I wish that the President, as our nation’s leader, would set a positive example and not travel during this holiday weekend,” Young said, according to CBS Baltimore. “I would hope that the President would change his mind and decide to remain at home. If he decides, however, to move forward with his scheduled trip to Baltimore...

Full title: Author of Star-Spangled Banner fought slavery! & little-known story of Randolph's land for freed slaves On SEPTEMBER 13, 1814, just weeks after they burned the U.S. Capitol, British forces attacked Baltimore, Maryland -- the third largest city in America. Britain had the largest global empire in world history, controlling 13 million square miles -- almost a quarter of the Earth's land -- and nearly half billion people -- one-fifth of the world's population at that time. Out of nearly 200 countries in the world, only 22 were never controlled or invaded by Britain. As the War of 1812...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two U.S. sailors who were found dead in a Ghana hotel room may have died of alcohol poisoning, a Navy official told CNN on Wednesday. There were no signs of foul play in the incident, said the Navy official, who asked not to be identified due to the ongoing investigation. An unidentified naval official told The Associated Press that the two were among a trio of sailors who checked in at La Palm Beach Hotel in the capital of Accra on December 31 "and on the next day, the third sailor found the two dead in their...

ACCRA, Ghana — Two U.S. Navy sailors were found dead Tuesday in a hotel room in the West African nation of Ghana, the U.S. Navy said.

Francis Scott Key 1780-1843On Sept. 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key peered through clearing smoke to see an enormous flag flying proudly after a 25-hour British bombardment of Baltimore's Fort McHenry. Key was inspired to write a poem, which was later set to music. Even before "The Star-Spangled Banner" became our national anthem, it helped transform the garrison flag with the same name into a major national symbol of patriotism and identity. The flag has had a colorful history, from its origins in a government contract through its sojourn with several generations of a Baltimore family to its eventual donation to...

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW) Stefanie Holzeisen-mullen and Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Brian Seymour, Fleet Public Affairs Center Atlantic VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- Family and friends gathered at Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Little Creek July 6, to greet the arrival of the dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43). Originally homeported at Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan, Fort McHenry was part of a “hull swap” in April with the dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46). The vessels “swapped” homeports while the crews remained assigned to their original locations. The hull swap was part of...

No, this isn’t about the Star-Spangled Banner, neither the flag nor the anthem. It’s about dawn itself. The promise of a new beginning. Civilization began, thousands of years before recorded history, when men discovered how to cultivate crops. That meant communities and social organization. It also meant the beginnings of astronomy, studying the movement of the sun. Early evidence of this includes the “solar observatories” built by the Incas in South America, by the Anasazi in North America, and most famously, by Druids and others at Stonehenge in Britain. All these identified the solar equinoxes, especially in the spring. Coupled...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

All Four StanzasBy Isaac Asimov I have a weakness--I am crazy, absolutely nuts, about our national anthem.The words are difficult and the tune is almost impossible, but frequently when I'm taking a shower I sing it with as much power and emotion as I can. It shakes me up every time.I was once asked to speak at a luncheon. Taking my life in my hands, I announced I was going to sing our national anthem--all four stanzas.This was greeted with loud groans. One man closed the door to the kitchen, where the noise of dishes and cutlery was loud...

Our national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, was written by Francis Scott Key during the British attack on Fort McHenry on September 13, 1814. The British bombardment, which continued for 25 hours, involved 1,500 bombshells that weighed as much as 220 pounds and carried lighted fuses that would cause them to blow up when they reached their target. Not being very dependable, the bombs often exploded in midair. Key watched the battle with apprehension, knowing that as long as the shelling continued, Fort McHenry had not surrendered. Long before daylight there came a sudden and mysterious silence. What Key did...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. God Bless America...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members...