Along with “Semper Fidelis,” “Devil Dog” and “OORAH,” one of the U.S. Marine Corps’ traditional mantras has been “improvise, adapt and overcome.” The Marines have prided themselves on being the tip of America’s spear, which means hitting first, hitting fast and encountering the unexpected and unplanned for. Tough to do, but an unbroken string of successful amphibious assaults going back to the Revolutionary War speaks for their ability to make do.
Their talents are being tested again as deep funding cuts triggered by sequestration force the Marines, and the rest of the Department of Defense, to delay, scale back and scrap equipment updates, training programs and other operational necessities.
Don’t you want to grab one of the crisp red apples that grace the cover of the September/October issue of American Spirit*? Our feature takes readers through the history of how apples became “our democratic fruit.” Just as they set down their own roots on American soil, settlers bringing seeds to the New World in 1620 carefully nurtured the fruit-bearing trees, and it wasn’t long before apples became a staple of the nation’s diet. Today they’re a unique symbol of our cultural heritage.
Revolutionary spirit (often aided by a “flagon,” or pitcher, of apple cider) certainly was fomented in Colonial taverns. We talk with members of Flagon and Trencher, a lineage society that celebrates tavern keepers licensed prior to 1776 and honors their spicy ancestors’ unique contributions to the Revolution.
We received the photo below today from our friends in the editorial department of the DAR in Washington, DC, with whom we work in publishing the organization’s national magazine, American Spirit.
Here are the facts about the photo we can piece together.
Rex Hammock, left, is wearing the cap of a Union soldier. While he’s a history buff, we feel somewhat certain that his Alabama and Tennessee roots make this a first. We have also learned that the woman on the right is an actress playing the part of Clara Barton, the angel of the battlefield, and founder of the American Red Cross, the next-door neighbor of the DAR in Washington. (Sidenote: While not related to the photo, we know that Miss Barton was a member of the DAR.)
We understand that the photo was taken at yesterday’s 83rd 92nd annual New York State luncheon at the annual Continental Congress of the DAR. And we’ve received a report from Rex that playing the part of a Union soldier is a great role if you’re on-stage in front of several hundred women from New York state.
Correction: We’ve learned this year’s was the 92nd annual New York luncheon. After a decade of working with our friends at the DAR on fact-checking historical dates, we never cease to be amazed by their ability to track down such information.
In our May/June issue of American Spirit, the national magazine of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)*, we remember an often-unsung branch of our Armed Forces: The United States Coast Guard. In our cover feature we detail the wide-ranging history of Coast Guard, which was originally created in 1790 to raise revenues and pull the nation out of debt. It has evolved into a guardian of our shores, a protector of our borders and an “Always Ready” life-saving service. As president George H.W. Bush said, “No branch of service has been in the business of saving lives longer than the Coast Guard. … No other branch does more to protect our environment. Few do as much to defend our homeland against the shadowy threats of illegal drugs and, now, terrorism. … This remarkable institution … is so clearly indispensable to America’s future.”
Even with today’s high-tech weather radars and forecasting tools, extreme weather can uproot thousands of people, destroy homes and buildings and wreak havoc, as proven by the recent devastating tornadoes in Oklahoma and Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast. But what if such a storm came with absolutely no warning? That’s what happened in 1635,when a massive hurricane hit the coast of New England with winds estimated at 130 miles an hour, making it possibly the strongest hurricane ever to hit the region. Our feature shows how early Americans dealt with such severe weather events — and tried to make sense of the natural world.
With the ongoing budget problems in Washington, and with America’s presence in Afghanistan winding down, many Marines and other service members will be returning to civilian life and looking for work in the near future. They may be surprised to learn that the values instilled in them during their service are highly desired by the financial services industry.
In “Psst! Hey Marine! Wall Street Wants … You!” in the July August issue of Semper Fi, the Magazine of the Marine Corps League, several Marine veterans tell how the discipline, commitment, resilience and dedication they learned in the Corps have helped them succeed in a tough, but rewarding business.
We also profile another Marine leaving active duty—General James N. “Mad Dog” Mattis. Outspoken, sometimes controversial but beloved by his Marines (and feared by his enemies), General Mattis had headed U.S. Central Command prior to retirement. He famously told his troops on the eve of Operation Iraqi Freedom to “Demonstrate to the world there is ‘No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy, than a U.S. Marine.'”
The March-April issue of Semper Fi, the Magazine of the Marine Corps League, examines some of the most pressing institutional and cultural challenges facing the United States Marine Corps. These challenges are of keen interest to our client, the Marine Corps League.
As if downsizing and belt-tightening as a result of planned budget cuts and sequestration-enforced cutbacks were not enough, the Corps is also grappling with suicide, post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injuries, hazing, sexual assaults, how to integrate women into previously off-limits combat roles and increasing its diversity.
But Marines thrive on challenge — “Improvise, Adapt and Overcome” being almost as much of a mantra as “Semper Fidelis” — and they are exploring a wide array of approaches to find their way forward.
Speaking of budget cuts, February’s Marine West Expo sponsored by the League made it clear to defense suppliers that, like the Corps itself, they would have to watch costs while innovating ever lighter and more versatile equipment. Despite the budget issues, the Marines remain “America’s 911 force.”
The new issue also reports on Grand Rapids, Mich., the host city for the League’s 90th National Convention in August. The city boasts a variety of outdoor recreation as well as a vibrant arts scene; in fact, Men’s Journal recently declared that “Few cities anywhere do more to support creativity than Michigan’s second-largest metropolis.”
[For nearly a decade, Hammock has been honored to assist our friends at the Marine Corps League in publishing their award-winning magazine. For samples of covers and editorial features in issues since 2007, visit the Hammock Portfolio on Flickr.]
American Spirit, the national magazine of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)*, has a strong track record of bringing to light stories about brave and groundbreaking women of history whose lives aren’t very familiar to most people.
Nowhere is that focus more apparent than in the magazine’s third annual issue devoted to Women’s History Month.
The cover feature looks at the lives of Anna Claypoole Peale and Sarah Miriam Peale. The sisters not only found distinction as highly skilled 19th-century portrait artists, but they also were remarkable in another respect: They were able to support themselves financially in an age when women were supposed to be homemakers, not artisans.
Though Irish immigrant Margaret Haughery’s early life was marred by tragedy and she had no formal schooling, she persevered to become a successful entrepreneur in 19th-century New Orleans. This issue includes a feature examining how she dedicated her life to helping orphans in that disease-plagued city, inspiring many of her fellow citizens to call her the Angel of the Delta.
Restoring our nation’s cemeteries and preserving the stories they tell about our history and genealogy are high priorities for our client, the Daughters of the American Revolution. We honor that commitment in the January/February 2013 issue of American Spirit as we highlight historic cemeteries of various sizes, many of them once ravaged by time, natural elements and neglect, that have been rehabilitated by dedicated volunteers.
To commemorate February’s Black History Month, the issue also examines unsung African-Americans, both slaves and freemen, who contributed to the Revolutionary cause. One story is especially dramatic: In the weeks leading up to the climactic battle at Yorktown, Va., General George Washington received a steady stream of crucial intelligence from a highly placed spy who worked for Washington’s foe, Lord Cornwallis. That Washington had a double agent literally within the British commander’s tent is remarkable in itself. What is even more remarkable is that the spy was a Virginia slave named James Armistead, whose dangerous duty would eventually earn him his freedom.
And February 14 is on our minds as we remember Esther Howland, a Mayflower descendant who was known as the mother of the American valentine.
Our client, the Marine Corps League, brought a long-cherished dream to larger-than-life reality in November with the dedication of a bronze statue of the late USMC Lt. Col. Chesty Puller at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
Eight feet tall and standing atop granite pedestal, “the Marine’s Marine,” the most-decorated Marine in history, looks out over acres of parking toward the Museum entrance, his right arm extended and pointing to the treasure trove of Leatherneck legacy.
The League has long dreamed of honoring Puller in this fashion. It launched a campaign to sell commemorative bricks to underwrite the cost. In 2012, the League hired famed sculptor Terry Jones to design and cast the monument. It was installed in October and commemorated on Nov. 12, just two days after the Corps’ 237th Birthday.
The January-Fedruary issue of Semper Fi, the Magazine of the Marine Corps League, which we assist the League in publishing, covers the dedication in depth.
The issue also reports on the Corps’ role in U.S. Special Operations, and on a wide-ranging educational program intended to give both enlisted Marines and officers greater professional skills for both war and peacetime operations.