AMERICANPATRIOT

BATTLE OFNEW ORLEANSGREAT BUT LATE VICTORY

ROSA PARKSCIVIL RIGHTS PIONEER

LEE GREENWOODTHE TRADITION CONTINUES

VIEW INFULLSCREEN

CLICK ABOVEDECEMBER 24, 2009

AMERICANPATRIOT

BATTLE OFNEW ORLEANSGREAT BUTLATE VICTORY

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DR. JONAS SALKMEDICAL MIRACLE WORKER

THE GREATAMERICANCLEANUP

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Contents

LEEGREENWOODTHE TRADITION CONTINUES

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THIS WEEK INAMERICAN HISTORY

QUOTE OFTHE WEEK

15

PEACE CORPSVOLUNTEER

RISES TO DIRECTOR

4 AMERICAN PATRIOT

In 1814 we took a little tripAlong with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip.We took a little bacon and we took a little beansAnd we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.We fired once more and they began to runnin' onDown the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

— BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS by Jimmie Driftwood

SEE ALL THE LYRICS

AMERICAN PATRIOT 5

BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANSGREAT BUT LATE VICTORY

As the jaunty hit song of the 1950s

attests, Americans vaguely remember the

Battle of New Orleans as a smashing

victory for our side. Indeed it was cause

for celebration: Andrew Jackson defeated

a large invading British Army intent on

seizing New Orleans and the vast lands

of the Louisiana Purchase, winning the

greatest land victory of the War of 1812

and forcing the British to flee.

An interesting historical twist, however, is

that the battle need not have been fought.

It actually reached its peak on January 8,

1815 — but a peace treaty between the

American and British governments had

already been signed in Ghent, Belgium,

on Christmas Eve, nearly two weeks ear-

lier. Remarkably, given the slow methods

of communications in those days, news

of the peace did not reach the combatants

until February.

Although the Battle of New Orleans had

no influence on the war itself, many

historians believe that the defeat at New

Orleans compelled the Britain to honor

the treaty. It also helped burnish Andrew

Jackson’s reputation as a fighter and

strategist, which eventually propelled him

to the White House. Perhaps most impor-

tantly, it electrified the young country and

gave it a needed boost of self-confidence

after a lackluster military performance

throughout the War of 1812. The anniver-

sary of the battle was celebrated for many

years and a federal park was established

in 1907 to preserve the battlefield; today

it features a monument and is part of the

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park

and Preserve. And, of course, we all bene-

fitted from the lighthearted song which,

when sung by Johnny Horton, topped the

Billboard chart in 1959!

WATCH A VIDEO OF JOHNNYHORTON’S HIT THE BATTLE OFNEW ORLEANS

THE BATTLEFIELD ON JANUARY 8, 1815

6 AMERICAN PATRIOT

THE GREAT AMERICAN

CLEANUPThe results are in for the biggestspring cleaning of all time.Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s largest volunteer-basedcommunity action and education organization, reports that its2009 Great American Cleanup involved over 3 million volunteersand participants, 1,000 grassroots organizations, 5.2 millionvolunteer hours, and more than 30,000 events taking place in32,000 communities nationwide. The 2009 campaign, themed"Green Starts Here," encouraged communities to declare thatbeing "green" begins with the actions of individuals. This includededucational events, litter cleanups, recycling drives, graffitipaint-outs, planting a community gardens and the like.

AMERICAN PATRIOT 7

64 million pounds of litter anddebris were removed from publiclands and rights-of-ways.

3,200 parks and communityrecreation areas were improved,restored or constructed.

4,750 illegal dumpsites and15,600 graffiti sites wereremediated.

243 million plastic (PET) bottleswere collected for recycling, a30 percent rise.

6.9 million pounds of electronicscollected for recycling representinga 30 percent increase over 2008.

Volunteers kept 14.5 millionpounds of aluminum and steel outof landfills, a 42 percent increase.

870,000 tires were collectedfor recycling as were 36 millionpounds of newspaper werecollected for recycling.

6,400 gardens, xeriscapes andgreen spaces were created nation-wide, and 157,000 trees wereplanted.

2.3 million flowers and bulbswere planted to create lasting,colorful beauty.

AMONG THE NOTABLEACHIEVEMENTS OF THEGREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP:

"Keep America Beautiful is grateful for theremarkable achievements of our GreatAmerican Cleanup participating organizationsand volunteers," said Matthew M. McKenna,head of the group. Among the companiessupporting the effort were: American Honda,Arm & Hammer, Colgate-Palmolive, DowChemical, Glad, Pepsi, Scotts Miracle-Gro, SoloCup, Troy-Bilt, University of Phoenix, WasteManagement, Wrigley.; Educational Partner:and Rubber Manufacturers Association.

8 AMERICAN PATRIOT

DR. JONAS SALKMEDICAL MIRACLE WORKER

With all the discussion of the need for nationalhealthcare reform and focuses on the shortcomingsof our medical system, it is important to rememberthat American medicine has been second-to-none interms of breakthroughs and innovations. One suchtriumph came from Jonas Edward Salk, developer ofthe first successful vaccine for polio.

PICTURED ABOVE:Dr. Salk gives atest inoculationto his son

Born in New York City and the oldestson of Russian-Jewish immigrantparents, Salk was the first in his familyto go to college, working for his educationat City College of New York, and then atNYU School of Medicine. After gradua-tion, but still at NYU, Salk began tolook for a flu vaccine and, along with acolleague, actually developed a vaccineused by the military during World WarII. Salk moved on to the University ofMichigan and then to teaching at theUniversity of Pittsburgh in 1947.

While in Pittsburgh, Salk developed arelationship with the March of Dimes.Since the turn of the century, poliooutbreaks had exploded — nearly58,000 cases occurred in 1952. Hedecided to devote his research to itsprevention. Years of work paid off: in1952, he developed a trial vaccine forpolio composed of "killed" polio virus,which retained the ability to immunizewithout the risk of infecting the patient.He first inoculated volunteers, includinghimself, his wife, and their three sons.In 1954, he published his findings in theJournal of the American Medical Asso-ciation, and nationwide testing wascarried out. Nearly two million school-

children took the vaccine, and the resultsproved it to be safe and effective.

News of the discovery was made publicin April 1955, and Salk was an instantnational hero. The impact was dramatic:in 1955 there were 28,985 cases ofpolio in the U.S. and by 1957 thatnumber had fallen to 5,894. Since hewanted it to be distributed freely toeveryone, Salk never patented his poliovaccine. Though an oral vaccine devel-oped by Dr. Albert Sabin gained popu-larity in the early 1960s, Salk's vaccineis still popular because the risk factoris low. Today, in the U.S., cases ofpolio are extremely rare and the WorldHealth Organization hopes the diseasewill be eradicated worldwide soon.

In 1963, Salk established the SalkInstitute for Biological Studies andeventually settled it in San Diego. Hehad received a $20 million grant fromthe National Science Foundation andsupport from the March of Dimes.Salk's last years were spent searchingfor a vaccine against AIDS. He died in1995 at 80 years of age.

AMERICAN PATRIOT 9

DR. JONAS SALK IS ONE OFTIME MAGAZINE’S 100 MOSTIMPORTANT PEOPLE OF THE20TH CENTURY

10 AMERICAN PATRIOT

The two-time CMA Male Vocalist of

the Year focuses on traditional holiday

songs including a mix of childhood

favorites such as “Jingle Bells” and

“Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”,

with classics like “Little Drummer Boy”

and “Joy To The World” in medley

with “Hark The Herald Angels Sing”.

Greenwood has been singing music

that affirms what he sees as tradi-

tional values since the early 1980s,

when he was discovered by a major

record label. He now has released

more than twenty albums and charted

more than thirty-five singles on the

Billboard country music charts.

Greenwood’s best known song

continues to be “God Bless the USA,”

which first appeared in 1983, and

has had surges of popularity during

the Gulf War and following 9/11. It

is said to be the second most played

patriotic song in the U.S., behind the

National Anthem. The singer is

currently serving a 6-year term on

the National Council on the Arts, and

recently turned 67 years of age.

AMERICAN PATRIOT 11

SEE LEE GREENWOOD ONTHE CBS EARLY SHOW

LEE GREENWOODTHE TRADITION CONTINUESIn a world that is increasingly secular, country music star Lee Greenwood

says that he has crafted a new Christmas themed album that reaffirms “the

real reason for the season” as the centerpiece. Vocal about his faith and his

patriotism — he is, after all, the composer of the patriotic mega-hit “God

Bless the USA” — the new collection is entitled “Have Yourself A Merry Little

Christmas.” Greenwood has been outspoken about the importance of keep-

ing God in American life and culture.

12 AMERICAN PATRIOT

Williams is the fourth director to

have served as a Peace Corps

volunteer. He was in the Dominican

Republic from 1967 to 1970.

“I am deeply honored to be the

Director of the Peace Corps and I

want to thank President Obama for

the trust that he has placed in me.

I look forward to making his call to

public service a reality for more

Americans,” said Director Williams.

“I am committed to recruiting,

training and supporting the next

generation of skilled and enthusiastic

volunteers eager to serve side by side

with members of Peace Corps host

communities around the world.”

Upon completing his service,

Williams became the coordinator of

minority recruitment and project

evaluation officer for the Peace

Corps in his hometown of Chicago.

He has since pursued a career in

the development, including posts at

the U.S. Agency for International

Development (USAID) and the

International Youth Foundation.

As USAID Mission Director in South

Africa, Williams led a billion dollar

foreign assistance program during

President Nelson Mandela’s admin-

istration. He has been awarded the

USAID Distinguished Career Service

Award and, twice, the Presidential

Award for Distinguished Service.

AMERICAN PATRIOT 13

PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERRISES TO DIRECTOROne of Barack Obama’s election pledges was a call to public servicethrough organizations such as the Peace Corps and Teach for America.Both groups, andmany others, have seen upticks in applications over thepast year. To lead the Peace Corps into a new era— it was founded in theearly 1960s as an initiative of President John F. Kennedy — Mr. Obamahas picked Aaron S. Williams as the 18th Director of the organization.

QUOTE OFTHE WEEK

I have learned over the years thatwhen one’s mind is made up, thisdiminishes fear; knowing whatmust be done does away with fear.

— ROSA PARKSHer refusal to move to the back of the bus, andsubsequent arrest, led to the birth of the modernAmerican Civil Rights movement. Her arrest led to ayear long boycott of the city bus system in Montgomery,Alabama. It happened December 1, 1955.

14 AMERICAN PATRIOT

1823.President James Monroe declared the “Monroe Doctrine” in a speech

to Congress. This doctrine prohibited any further colonization of the

American continent by European countries and effectively made the

U.S. the preeminent power in the Western Hemisphere.

THIS WEEK INAMERICAN HISTORY

AMERICAN PATRIOT 15

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