Debra, many, many thanks for this. "Men of Harlech". has long been my favorite --dare I say-- "war song." Imagine the inarticulate fear of going into battle , on foot, armed with only a spear, face to face with the enemy. They would need all the encouragement possible, whether Henry V's Agincourt oration, or the the most glorious call to battle of all time: "Men of Harlech--- Saxon spearmen, Saxon bowmen; be they knights or hinds or yeomen, the shall. bite the dust!" I suppose the poor Welsh were defeated, as usual, alas! Except for the song, the warriors are long forgotten.
Forever grateful to have learned about Rick Rescorla. His photo and the article at Military.com attest to his having used this song, remembered from his British youth, during Vietnam as well. The power of words and song, indeed. Here’s a thought: we can all do informal survey with next few youth we meet, asking if they know ANY of our military fight songs.
"A message went out from the Port Authority instructing everyone to stay in place." Oh my goodness. Talk about counterintuitive. Thanks be to God for Rick Rescorla. He was/is a true hero in the most complete sense of what that word means. Many thanks, Debra, for highlighting his life and death. May his soul rest in peace and may Perpetual Light shine upon him.
Thanks, Debra. Rick Rescorla was a hero that terrible day. A day he somehow seemed to know was coming. But, he was ready for it. There was a documentary that came out shortly after 9/11 about his security work and they made a vague reference to his having lost men under him in Vietnam and his determination to protect those he was responsible for. It was several years later that I read We Were Soldiers Once and Young and learned "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey would say. Seeing his picture on the cover of that book as Edward mentioned was poignant and haunting.
You knocked it out of the park, Debra, with this weeks song and the heroic 9/11 story to go with it. Your comment about such songs having fallen out of favor and being too martial for our current age reminded me of the time I was was announcing over our church's PA system from the choir loft an invitation for the congregation to join the choir in singing the next hymn. When I stepped to the mic and announced "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," our choir director bolted upright at his organ frantically waving his arms while silently mouthing, "No, no, no!" Later he advised me that Julia Ward Howe's immortal Civil War hymn should be announced as "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory." Thankfully, none of her words had been altered.
Good Morning Debra: I enjoyed reading your story today. As a side note, Rick Rescorla was the soldier in the photo that became the cover of Hal Moores book “We were Soldiers Once…and Young”. The movie starred Mel Gibson as Hal. Rick objected to both the using of the photo and the film. He said all the real heroes were dead. Thanks. Eddie.
"Men of Harlech"
Debra, many, many thanks for this. "Men of Harlech". has long been my favorite --dare I say-- "war song." Imagine the inarticulate fear of going into battle , on foot, armed with only a spear, face to face with the enemy. They would need all the encouragement possible, whether Henry V's Agincourt oration, or the the most glorious call to battle of all time: "Men of Harlech--- Saxon spearmen, Saxon bowmen; be they knights or hinds or yeomen, the shall. bite the dust!" I suppose the poor Welsh were defeated, as usual, alas! Except for the song, the warriors are long forgotten.
Debra, thank you for the inspiring story. Rick Rescorla‘s story should be known by all.
Thank you Debra for telling us about Rick Rescorla, his heroic role in 9/11, and choosing this great Welsh song. What a magnificent story.
Forever grateful to have learned about Rick Rescorla. His photo and the article at Military.com attest to his having used this song, remembered from his British youth, during Vietnam as well. The power of words and song, indeed. Here’s a thought: we can all do informal survey with next few youth we meet, asking if they know ANY of our military fight songs.
"A message went out from the Port Authority instructing everyone to stay in place." Oh my goodness. Talk about counterintuitive. Thanks be to God for Rick Rescorla. He was/is a true hero in the most complete sense of what that word means. Many thanks, Debra, for highlighting his life and death. May his soul rest in peace and may Perpetual Light shine upon him.
Good to recall Rick Rescorla, a heroic man who met a heroes death.
A magnificent song.
My favorite version online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZsZUyh6Zl8
The massed choral voices give it an extra dose of grandeur.
Thanks, Debra. Rick Rescorla was a hero that terrible day. A day he somehow seemed to know was coming. But, he was ready for it. There was a documentary that came out shortly after 9/11 about his security work and they made a vague reference to his having lost men under him in Vietnam and his determination to protect those he was responsible for. It was several years later that I read We Were Soldiers Once and Young and learned "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey would say. Seeing his picture on the cover of that book as Edward mentioned was poignant and haunting.
“..oxygen masks, check your indicators!” We were so cool singing these walking home from elementary school in Tenafly, NJ.
“..oxygen masks, check your indicators!” We were so cool singing these walking home from elementary school in Tenafly, NJ.
You knocked it out of the park, Debra, with this weeks song and the heroic 9/11 story to go with it. Your comment about such songs having fallen out of favor and being too martial for our current age reminded me of the time I was was announcing over our church's PA system from the choir loft an invitation for the congregation to join the choir in singing the next hymn. When I stepped to the mic and announced "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," our choir director bolted upright at his organ frantically waving his arms while silently mouthing, "No, no, no!" Later he advised me that Julia Ward Howe's immortal Civil War hymn should be announced as "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory." Thankfully, none of her words had been altered.
Good Morning Debra: I enjoyed reading your story today. As a side note, Rick Rescorla was the soldier in the photo that became the cover of Hal Moores book “We were Soldiers Once…and Young”. The movie starred Mel Gibson as Hal. Rick objected to both the using of the photo and the film. He said all the real heroes were dead. Thanks. Eddie.