Page 14 - TFRW PNL Mar 2018

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AMERICANISM

March 2018

As the youth of America participate in the Olympics, the chants of USA, USA rings out in whatever event is
taking place in the many winter venues in South Korea. When did the symbol USA first appear? On March 11, 1776,
General George Washington ordered the formation of the LIFE GUARD. He issued general orders to each of the
Commanding Officers of the Continental Army to choose four men from each regiment to be his personal guard.
The motto of this unit was “Conquer or Die,” and they were charged with the orders to protect the General, the
army’s cash and papers. They were commanded by Captain Gibbs, who decided to replace the usual regiment
uniforms and emblems with leather helmets and a belt buckle with USA on it.

On March 11, it is time to change our clocks and move them forward one hour. It is easily remembered by the words
“Spring Forward.” In April of 1918, the Allied Nations following Germany’s lead began Daylight Savings as an energy
saver. This continued on and off for years by the industrialized nations of the world, especially when energy sources
were at a low level.
In the month of March, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on the 17th, the anniversary of his death in the fifth
century. This celebration usually occurs during the Christian observance of Lent and often the abstinence of eating
meat was waived to dance, drink, and eat a meal of Irish bacon and cabbage. The symbol of the shamrock (Irish
clover) according to legend was used by St. Patrick to explain the Holy Trinity. Now fast forward to March 17th, 1762,
when the Irish soldiers, as part of a contingency of the British military, marched through the city of New York in
observance of the feast day of the Patron Saint of Ireland. Through the years these bands of pipes and drums have
expanded to over 100,000 participants and millions of people to watch the observance of St. Patrick’s Day parades
in the United States. In the city of Chicago, the river is dyed green in honor of the Irish in that city. To keep the
Chicago River environmentally safe only forty pounds of dye is used, and it dissipates again in several hours. Isn’t it
ironic that the first St Patrick’s Day parade was held in ”NEW YORK CITY?”

The Christian holidays of Palm Sunday (March 25th) and Good Friday (March 30th) are at the end of the month.
Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus triumphal processional into Jerusalem. Good Friday is the arrest of Jesus in the
Garden of Gethsemane by the royal soldiers after the Last Supper and the betrayal by Judas.

At sunset on March 30th, the Jewish Passover begins. This is celebrated from March 30th until April 7th and
celebrates the exodus and the freedom of the Israelites from Egypt. It’s also known as the feast of “unleavened
bread.”

Spring begins March 20th this year.
Signs of the Equinox in Nature by The Old Farmer’s Almanac

“The vernal equinox signals the beginning of nature’s renewal in the Northern Hemisphere! Worms begin to emerge
from the earth. In fact, the March Full Moon is called “The Full Worm Moon” for this reason. Notice the arc of the
Sun across the sky as it shifts toward the north. Birds are migrating northward, along with the path of the Sun.
Speaking of birds, did you know that the increasing sunlight is what triggers birds to sing? Cool, eh? Of course, the
longer days bring warmer weather! Both we and the animals around us strip off our clothes and heavy coats!”
https://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-spring-vernal-equinox

Quote of the Month

“The Soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the Soldier who must suffer and bear the
deepest wounds and scars of War.”

~ General Douglas MacArthur, United States Army

June Rentmeester and Jeannee O’Neill | Americanism Co-Chairmen

PRESIDENT’S E-NEWSLETTER | MARCH 2018 14 TEXAS FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN