2001 Nickname Beat

Nickname Beat:  Military Characters

By Matthew Anderson

Lafayette

Nickname:  Lafayette to The Scotts from Gloria

Marquis de Lafayette was a French soldier and statesman.  He studied at the Military Academy in Versailles.  He married Adrienne de Noailles.  He came to America in 1777.  He was a friend of George Washington and he spent the terrible winter at Valley Forge with him.

Rickenbacker

Nickname:  Rickenbacker to Duane from The Scotts

Eddie Rickenbacker was born in 1890.  He grew up in Columbus, Ohio.  He fought in World War I.  He received at least 3 medals.  He died in 1973.

Chamberlain

Nickname:  Chamberlain to Pete from Julie

Joshua Chamberlain was born Sept. 8, 1828.  He grew up In Brewer, Maine.  He fought in the Civil War.  He received the Congressional Medal of Honor.  He died in 1914.

General William Palmer

General William Palmer was born in 1836.  He founded Colorado Springs.  He bought 9,300 acres for 80 cents an acre.  He built the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad.  He was a General in the Civil War.

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar was born in Rome.  He was born in 100 BC.  He died in 44 BC.  He lived in Rome.  He was a Roman general and statesman.  He fought Italy and Spain. He is famous for the quote, "I came, I saw, I conquered."

U. S. Grant

Grant, Ulysses S(impson) (1822-1885), 18th president of the United States (1869-1877).  Grant graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1843.  He fought under General Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War (1846-1847).  From 1861-1865 Grant fought in the American Civil War.  In 1863 was named major general in U.S. Army.  Then in 1864 was named general in chief of U.S. Army.  Grant accepted the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in 1865.

Minutemen

Minutemen were volunteer soldiers who fought for the American Colonies against Britain at the beginning of the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783).  Just before the war, they were trained and organized into military companies.  They were called minutemen because they were ready to fight "at a minute's notice."

When the Massachusetts militia was reorganized in 1774, the Provincial Congress provided that one-third of all the new regiments were to be made up of minutemen.  The most famous action of the minutemen occurred on April 19, 1775, at Lexington and Concord, where they fought side by side with the militia.  Minutemen groups disappeared when regular armies were formed.

Teddy Roosevelt

Teddy Roosevelt (1858-1919), at age 42, became the youngest president in U.S. history.  From 1897-1898 Teddy Roosevelt served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy.  In 1898 Teddy Roosevelt commanded the volunteer regiment known as the "Rough Riders" during the Spanish-American War.  Teddy Roosevelt earned the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War.  Teddy Roosevelt launched the "Great White Fleet" of American battleships, which demonstrated worldwide naval power in 1907.

Arthur J Anderson, COL US ARMY

Arthur J Anderson was born in Sept. of 1916, grew up in South Dakota, and joined the U.S. ARMY 2nd ARMORED DIVISION in 1939.  Arthur J Anderson served 23 years in the US Army.  He was in 9 campaigns.  His last war was Korea.  Some of the medals he received were the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart Medal. But most importantly, without him there would be no General Sherman, Sergeant Schultz, and Captain America.  Arthur J Anderson, we salute you!

Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam is a nickname for the United States Government, or for the people of the United States.  Many historians believe that the phrase was first used during the War of 1812.  At that time, government supply wagons were stamped with the letters "U.S.," for United States.  Persons who were not in favor of the war began to say that the letters stood for "Uncle Sam."  These people accused "Uncle Sam" of being wasteful and foolish.  But gradually the term lost its bad meaning and came to stand for all that was good in the United States.

Clara Barton

Clara Barton (1821-1912) founded the American Red Cross.  In the War between the States she began the work of carrying supplies to soldiers and nursing wounded men on the battlefields.  At first, the government had refused to give help but later her deeds attracted nation-wide attention.  She was called "Angel of the Battlefield."  More than 12,000 graves were marked in the Andersonville (Ga.) National Cemetery because of her work.

Commander-In-Chief

Nickname:  Commander-In-Chief to Gloria from Gloria

George Washington (1732-1799), won a lasting place in American history as the "Father of the Country."  In three important ways, Washington helped shape the beginning of the United States.  First, he served as commander in chief of the Continental Army that won American independence from Great Britain in the Revolutionary War.  Second, Washington served as president of the convention that wrote the United States Constitution.  Third, he was elected the first President of the United States. President Ford posthumously appointed George Washington General of the Armies of the United States and specified that he would rank first among all officers of the Army, past and present.

Major Winters

Nickname:  Major Winters to Linda from Julie

Richard D. Winters started in Easy Company as a 2nd Lieutenant in charge of the 1st Platoon, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for action on D-Day and rose to Major as the war progressed. His commanding officer said, "His personal bravery and battle knowledge held a crucial position when the going was really rough".  Major Richard Winters was played by Damian Lewis in Band of Brothers.  Steven Spielberg's mini-series Band of Brothers, started airing Oct. 5, 2001, tells the story of a company of US paratroopers who landed in Normandy in 1944 and fought their way across Europe, ending up at Hitler's mountain retreat at Berchtesgaden in the spring of 1945.  Winters commented at the premier, "Pass these lesson that we learned along.  They were hard lessons to learn." 

Little Mac

Nickname:  Little Mac to Dianne from Paul

General Lee called George McClellan the greatest Northern general in the War Between the States.  McClellan was also called "Little Mac" by his soldiers.  He was a brilliant student of military history, and was also thoroughly familiar with problems of organization, strategy, and tactics.  At the outbreak of the Civil War, he was commissioned major general in the regular army and, after the First Battle of Bull Run, commanded the Army of the Potomac, the troops in and around Washington, D.C.  In November 1861 he was appointed commander in chief of the Union army. 

Sherman

Nickname:  Sherman to Paul from Jennifer

Sherman, William Tecumseh (1820-1891), was one of the greatest Union generals of the War between the States.  He is best remembered for his march from Atlanta to the sea.  Sherman has been called the first modern general because he made this march for the purpose of destroying supplies rather than lives.  This idea that a war can be ended sooner by destroying the materials of war than by killing soldiers is one of the basic principles of modern warfare.  Sherman hated war and is said to have summed up his feelings in the famous phrase, "War is hell." 

Sergeant Schultz

Nickname:  Sergeant Schultz to Julie from Paul

Sergeant Schultz is a character on the TV show "Hogan's Heroes" aired in prime time from 1965 to 1971. Schultz goes on the philosophy that with his head in the sand that he can't get in any trouble.  Schultz is consumed with eating pastries and strudels (mostly courtesy of LeBeau) drinking beer, avoiding trouble and being impartial. Schultz is known for saying "I know no-thing!"  Schultz is completely controlled by the prisoners, being moved in any direction which is beneficial to them. 

Buzz

Nickname:  Buzz to Judy from Linda

Buzz Aldrin was born January 20, 1930 in Montclair, New Jersey.  Known for piloting the lunar landing module on Apollo 11, the first manned landing on the moon, and becoming the second person to walk on the moon's surface.  In November 1966 he piloted Gemini 12, the last Gemini mission.  Born Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr., Adrin adopted the nickname Buzz as his legal name in 1988.  Aldrin was the first astronaut to resume a military career after retiring from NASA. 

Captain America

Nickname:  Captain America to Matthew from Paul

Eager to serve his county during world war two, Steve Rogers was transformed into a physically perfect man by the government's Super Soldier program, becoming the united states sentinel of liberty!  Armed with an indestructible shield and the physical prowess of an Olympic athlete, Rogers fought valiantly to uphold the ideals and principles of democracy.  At the end of war he was accidentally frozen in a block of ice and preserved for decades until discovered and revived by the avengers.  Now a man out of time, he is ever vigilant in his battles to protect the innocent and to uphold the beliefs upon which America was founded.  Willing to sacrifice his own life for the greater good, Steve Rogers is a physical embodiment of truth, justice, and honor He is......CAPTAIN AMERICA! 

Custer

Nickname:  Major Gen to Jennifer from Julie

Custer, George Armstrong (1839-1876), was an American army officer who took part in Indian warfare on the plains of Montana and Dakota.  By 1863 he was a major, and later became major general of volunteers.  Custer was called "Yellow Hair" by the Indians.  In June 1876, he fought the Battle of Little Big Horn in Montana in an attempt to end attacks on white settlers by the Indian leaders, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Rain-in-the-Face.  This battle, which lasted only twenty minutes, was called "Custer's last stand," because he and his whole command were massacred by the Sioux Indians under Crazy Horse.