Category: This great Nation & Its People
Throughout our history, Americans have repeatedly beaten long odds, inspiring generations by accomplishing the impossible.
American military history in particular offers countless examples of men standing firm against overwhelming enemies, triumphing when all logic tells us they should fail. We as a nation have largely forgotten too many of our heroes—most of us know nothing of Nicholas Biddle, Dan Daly, Littleton Waller, or Philip Kulbes, among many others.
These great men deserve to be remembered, and foremost among them stands Major-General Nathanael Greene, a little-remembered leader of the American Revolution.
Greene, always outnumbered and continually out of supply, spent a year fighting General Cornwallis and lost every battle. But every American loss, carefully planned and managed, drained the British of irreplaceable men and materiel—a strategy Greene summarized as “We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again”—and ultimately forced Cornwallis to retreat to Yorktown.
By the summer of 1780, the Americans faced a very bleak military situation. The British held New York, Savannah, and Charleston. Major-General Sir Henry Clinton had just invaded South Carolina, quickly capturing Georgetown, Cheraw, Camden, Ninety-Six, and Augusta, and defeating the Continentals at Waxhaws. And in the three years since Saratoga, the American army had not defeated British Regulars in any major battles.
In mid-August 1780, Major-General Charles Cornwallis sealed British dominance in the South with his crushing victory at the Battle of Camden. In this battle, 1,500 British Regulars and 600 Loyalist militia defeated a 4,000 man Continental army commanded by Major-General Horatio Gates, the hero of Saratoga.
The Americans lost at least 240 killed, another 700 seriously wounded, hundreds of deserters, and lost a further thousand as prisoners, as well losing all their artillery, wagons, baggage, and horses. Washington relieved Gates of command, appointing Major-General Nathanael Greene to command the remnants of the American army in the Southern theater.
Engraving of a scene from the Battle of Camden, during the Revolutionary War, inAugust 1780. From a painting by Alonzo Chappel. (PhotoQuest/Getty Images)
When Greene joined his army at the North–South Carolina border in December 1780, he found he had only about 1,500 men fit for duty, most of whom lacked ammunition and food. Cornwallis’ 6,000 man army, pursuing the shattered remnants of the American army, encamped just 60 miles south of the Americans.
Washington had reinforcements marching to join Greene and the latter, recognizing he could not supply the few men he had, much less a larger body, made a bold move—he dispatched one-third of his army, commanded by Brigadier-General Daniel Morgan, to the southwest while Greene led the rest of the army to the southeast.
Most of his contemporaries, both British and American, saw this decision as a major blunder—conventional military thinking warns never to divide your forces in the face of a numerically superior enemy.
Greene made this decision in part to relieve his own supply crisis. Though supplies might be on the way, it would be weeks before relief would arrive in meaningful volume, and the Americans had already exhausted all the locally available resources—they had to move on.
By separating his force and keeping them in motion, Greene believed his two smaller forces might find enough food to sustain them day-by-day because they’d be making much smaller demands on the areas through which they marched.
Painting of Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 – June 19, 1786) by Charles Willson Peale. (Bildagentur-online/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
But Greene chose to divide his army not simply to alleviate his own supply problems, but to exacerbate supply problems for Cornwallis. By dividing his command into two very small forces, Greene believed each could move far more quickly than the larger British army, and thus both of his small groups could stay ahead of any pursuing British force.
If Cornwallis over-confidently divided his own army to chase both American forces, Greene would have the two elements of his army draw the British units ever further apart, extending Cornwallis’ supply lines through the hostile Carolina backcountry, where Patriot militias could continually harass British supply convoys, and Greene’s own forces would clear the area of all local supplies.
If Cornwallis moved his entire force after either element of Greene’s divided army, the pursued wing would simply out-run the British while the other wing would devastate the long British supply lines.
Greene’s plan worked to perfection. On December 21, 1780, Morgan left Greene’s army at Charlotte, moving 6,000 men to the southwest. Two weeks later, on January 2, 1781, Cornwallis divided his command, dispatching Lieutenant-Colonel Banastre Tarleton to pursue Morgan while he shadowed Greene.
Over the next two weeks, Morgan repeatedly withdrew, always keeping rivers between his men and the pursuing British and drawing Tarleton ever further from Cornwallis. On January 17, Morgan decided to engage the British at Hannah’s Cowpens and destroyed Tarleton’s command.
An engraving depicting American military officer William Washington and British military officer Banastre Tarleton engaged in a sword fight, both on horseback, on the Green River Road during the Battle of Cowpens, in the American Revolutionary War, at Cowpens, South Carolina, January 17, 1781. (Kean Collection/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
An engraving depicting the Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781, during the American Revolutionary War. (Prisma/UIG/Getty Images)
Cornwallis turned what remained of his command west, racing to catch and destroy Morgan before Greene could intervene. The British burned their own wagons to speed their movement, but to no avail. Greene and Morgan re-united and withdrew into North Carolina, drawing Cornwallis ever further from his base of supplies.
When Cornwallis followed the Americans into North Carolina, Greene once again divided his force, sending Colonel Otho Williams to harass the British, who now suffered from ever-increasing logistical problems. On February 22, facing critical supply problems, Cornwallis abandoned his pursuit and began again marching south towards British-controlled territories.
Greene responded by also marching south, drawing close enough to tempt Cornwallis into battle. On March 15, 1781, Cornwallis rose to the challenge, attacking the Americans at Guilford Courthouse.
The British won a tactical victory, but lost men and supplies they could not replace. For the next few weeks, Greene shadowed Cornwallis’ army at a safe distance, threatening the fragile British supply lines.
He lost more than a dozen battles as he drew the British out of the Carolinas, but weakened his enemies with every encounter, a strategy Greene summarized when we wrote, “We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again.”
By late April 1781, Cornwallis led his army out of the Carolinas on an urgent march north towards Yorktown, where he hoped finally to re-supply his battered army. And, as I suspect you know, Washington and de la Fayette trapped Cornwallis at Yorktown, where his lack of supplies finally compelled Cornwallis to surrender his army.
“Surrender of Lord Cornwallis” painting by John Trumbull depicting the surrender of the British army Cornwallis’ command at Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781, to the American and French forces under the command of George Washington.
American armies actually lost most of the major engagements of the Revolutionary War—Bunker Hill, Quebec, Brooklyn, Kip’s Bay, White Plains, Germantown, Brandywine, Savannah, Charleston, and more.
But men like Nathanael Greene illustrate why the Americans ultimately succeeded, despite repeated failures. He recognized his central weakness—he commanded a small army constantly struggling to supply itself—and turned that weakness into a decisive strength.
Greene’s dogged resilience typified the men who won the Revolution, in the process forging the new nation.
David Stewart currently serves as a Faculty Fellow at the Center for Military History and Strategy at Hillsdale College, where he has taught since 1993. He received his Ph.D. from Ohio State and has published on a variety of topics relating to eighteenth-century military history.
A lot of people suggest that the Stuart tanks were under powered for World War II. While this may be true when compared to tanks like the Panzer IV, the platform was still able to bring significant firepower to the battlefield in the form of the M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage.
The M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage was a self-propelled howitzer vehicle used by the United States Army. Built on the M5 Stuart light tank chassis, the M8 mounted a 75mm howitzer in an open-topped turret configuration.
Similar to the M7 Priest used to support armored units, the M8 Howitzer was intended to provide mobile indirect fire support in mechanized cavalry reconnaissance squadrons. Fast-moving recon units couldn’t wait for towed artillery to catch up and deploy. When these units called for artillery support, they needed it right now.
The Cadillac Division of General Motors built nearly 1,800 M8 Howitzers by the end of the war. Crews took these motor carriages into battle across Europe and on many islands of the Pacific Campaign. While they lacked the “oomph” of the larger 105mm guns found on the Priest, the M8 could deliver critical firepower support to units probing enemy defenses.
Development from M3 Stuart Experiments
Initial attempts to create a self-propelled howitzer on a light tank chassis began with the T18 Howitzer Motor Carriage in late 1941. Envisioned as a self-propelled gun to provide close support, the T18 combined an M3 Stuart chassis with a 75mm pack howitzer in a fixed forward position. The howitzer mount was designed using the M3 Lee medium tank’s 75mm gun mount as inspiration.
However, the configuration proved unworkable. The gun placement far forward made the vehicle nose-heavy and prone to tipping during movement over rough terrain. The fighting compartment was cramped, and the crew had inadequate protection. The project was canceled, and the prototypes were destroyed after the war.
Keeping with the concept, engineers moved to the newer M5 Stuart chassis for the T41 project. The M5 featured twin Cadillac V8 automobile engines producing some 220 horsepower.
These more conventional engines replaced the radial aircraft engines used in the M3. Importantly, the Cadillac V8 engines were paired with automatic Hydra-Matic transmissions that made them easy to drive and easy for new crewmen to learn.
The M5 chassis also incorporated a raised rear engine deck, improved sloped armor on the glacis plate, and a more spacious fighting compartment. But the T41 still had a nose-heavy problem. Additional testing and revisions moved the gun into a better position, but the competing T47 project’s approach is what won the contract for Cadillac.
Instead of a fixed fighting compartment, engineers designed the T47 with a manually rotated, open-topped turret that could traverse a full 360 degrees. This turret configuration solved multiple problems simultaneously.
It distributed weight more evenly across the chassis. It provided far better crew protection than fixed mounts. It gave tactical flexibility — the crew could engage targets in any direction without repositioning the entire vehicle. After successful testing of the T47 mockup, the design was designated T17E1 HMC and ordered into production as the 75mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M8.
Design Changes from M5 Light Tank
The M8’s hull was essentially the M5 Stuart with specific modifications to fit the howitzer. The forward hull-mounted Browning M1919A4 .30-caliber machine gun was deleted.
This created additional interior space for ammunition storage — critically important since the 75mm rounds were substantially larger than the 37mm ammunition carried by standard Stuart tanks.
The driver and assistant driver compartment hatches, originally located on the top of the hull, had to be relocated to the glacis plate because the larger turret ring blocked their original positions. These new hinged plates could be rotated upward for visibility or lowered to button up for protection.
The turret was fabricated from cast steel and was open-topped to help vent gun gases and reduce weight. The turret front measured 1.5” thick with rounded surfaces. The sides and rear were a little thinner at 1” thick. This turret was considerably larger than the M5’s to accommodate the howitzer’s recoil mechanism and provide working space for the crew.
75mm Howitzer Gun
The M8’s primary armament was the 75mm howitzer mounted in the M7 mount. Early production vehicles received the 75mm Howitzer M2, an adaptation of the M1 Pack Howitzer. Later-production M8’s were equipped with the 75mm Howitzer M3.
Maximum firing range reached approximately 8,800 meters (~5.5 miles). The howitzer was relatively low velocity, designed for high-angle indirect fire rather than flat-trajectory direct fire. The gun had a good range of elevation: plus 40 degrees up and minus 20 degrees down. This elevation range proved particularly valuable in mountainous terrain.
A total of 46 rounds of 75mm rounds could be distributed throughout the vehicle. Six of these were “ready” rounds positioned between the driver and assistant driver positions for immediate access.
The most common ammunition types were the M48 high explosive shell and the M89 white phosphorus shell. The M48 HE round was the standard anti-personnel and general-purpose projectile.
The M8 could also fire the M66 HEAT round, which could penetrate 3” of armor plate, giving limited anti-tank capability when necessary, though this was not the vehicle’s primary role.
Secondary Armament
Unlike the standard M5 light tank, the M8 featured no coaxial machine gun. The only vehicle-mounted machine gun was a Browning M2HB .50-caliber heavy machine gun positioned on the right rear corner of the turret. This weapon had 400 rounds of ammunition. The .50 caliber’s mounting provided generous traverse and elevation, and its heavy punch made it effective against a wide range of targets.
For personal defense, crew members carried individual weapons. The driver was often issued a Thompson submachine gun or M3 grease gun — useful in the close confines of the driver’s position and for dismounted combat if needed. The other three crew members (commander, gunner, and assistant driver/loader) were typically equipped with M1 carbines.
Speed and Operational Range
The M8 weighed approximately 18 tons in combat configuration. Maximum road speed was roughly 36 miles per hour. This was somewhat slower than the M5 Stuart it was based on, due to the increased weight of the larger turret and ammunition load. However, it remained highly mobile compared to medium tanks or towed artillery. This made it great over the beach and in rough terrain.
Operational range was approximately 160 kilometers (100 miles) before it needed to find a gas station. Units frequently carried extra fuel in jerrycans.
Italian Campaign and Normandy Operations
The Howitzer Motor Carriage M8 first saw its combat in 1943 during the Italian Campaign. Italy’s mountainous terrain was extremely challenging for conventional armor. The M4 Sherman medium tank, though effective, struggled with the steep slopes and narrow mountain roads.
At roughly half the Sherman’s weight, the M8 could navigate terrain where heavier vehicles bogged down. Its high-angle fire capability was perfectly matched to mountain warfare where targets were often on hillsides above or below the firing position.
In France following the Normandy invasion, M8’s equipped the assault gun troops of numerous cavalry reconnaissance squadrons. During Operation Cobra and the subsequent breakout from the Normandy hedgerows, the cavalry squadrons played crucial roles in exploiting penetrations and screening the flanks of advancing armored divisions.
Pacific Theater Employment
The M8 also served in the Pacific Theater. Though in smaller numbers than in Europe, they proved every bit as effective. Jungle trails were narrow. Amphibious operations required relatively lightweight vehicles that could be landed quickly.
White phosphorus rounds were particularly effective against bunkers, as the burning phosphorus would penetrate openings and make positions untenable.
Replacement by M4 Sherman 105mm Assault Gun
Production of the M8 ended in January 1944 after 1,778 vehicles were manufactured. The decision to halt production came as more capable systems became available. The primary replacement was the M4 Sherman medium tank mounting the 105mm M4 howitzer, designated the M4 (105) or assault gun version of the Sherman.
The transition from M8 to Shermans began in early 1944 as production of the latter ramped up. However, M8’s already in service continued to be used through the end of the war.
Post-War Service with French Forces in Indochina
After World War II, the United States provided M8’s to several allied nations. France received M8 vehicles during and after the war. The French Army deployed these M8’s to Indochina as part of the French Expeditionary Corps during the First Indochina War from 1946 to 1954.
In Indochina, the M8 found a role similar to its Pacific service in World War II. French forces faced an insurgency operating from jungle bases and fortified villages. The M8’s mobility allowed it to support mobile operations and convoy escort missions.
The M8 remained in French service until the early 1960s, seeing action in Algeria during that conflict as well. After being withdrawn from French service, some vehicles were transferred to South Vietnamese forces. Other nations that received surplus M8’s included Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Taiwan.
Yugoslav Partisan Use
During World War II, Yugoslav partisans received nine M8 vehicles, which they nicknamed “Kadilak” after the Cadillac engines. These vehicles were used in operations against German and Croatian forces in the later stages of the war. The M8’s provided the partisans with mechanized firepower they otherwise lacked, as most partisan forces relied on captured equipment and light weapons.
M8 Scott Nickname
In November 1944, the U.S. Army Ordnance Department issued an official directive assigning nicknames to various military vehicles for publicity purposes and media usage. The M8 received the nickname “General Scott” or simply “Scott,” honoring General Winfield Scott.
General Scott served in the U.S. Army during the 19th century and fought in the War of 1812, various Indian Wars, and the Mexican-American War. He was a prominent military figure in American history, and this naming followed the Army’s pattern of naming vehicles after famous generals.
However, historical evidence suggests the nickname “Scott” was primarily used in official documentation and public relations materials rather than by troops in the field. Post-war, the “Scott” nickname became more widely used by historians.
Final Thoughts
The M8 filled a specific operational need during a critical period of the war. Its service in Italy, France and the Pacific demonstrated the importance of mobile fire support for rapidly moving mechanized units.
While overshadowed by more famous vehicles, the M8 played its role effectively and contributed to Allied tactical success in multiple theaters. Its extended post-war service with various nations attested to its basic soundness as a weapons system even if it was deemed outdated against a major power.
Shot down in a hostile landing zone, blasted apart, and stabbed through the leg, Gary Wetzel still fought his way back to an M60 machine gun. What happened next earned him the Medal of Honor and made his Vietnam story almost impossible to believe.
Gary Wetzel’s Medal of Honor Fight Began in a Huey
Gary Wetzel was born in 1947 in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1965, he was an 18-year-old soldier working in ordnance. He enlisted for three more years to serve as a door gunner on UH1 Huey helicopters in Vietnam. Wetzel was assigned to the 173d Assault Helicopter Company near Ap Dong An.
A group of four Australian helos flew into Wetzel’s firebase and got badly shot up for their trouble. Most of the hostile ground fire they had taken originated a mere kilometer from the perimeter.
Realizing the imminent threat this represented, Wetzel’s commander put together a quick reaction mission to seek out the local VC force and eliminate it. On January 8, 1968, PFC Wetzel climbed aboard his Huey and charged his M60 machine gun. They took off as a flight of fourteen aircraft. Ten were American UH1s. The four Australian helicopters took part as well.
The Guns Gary Wetzel Carried Into a Vietnamese Killing Zone
By 1968, Vietnam was a mature war zone. That meant weapons were absolutely everywhere. The M16 was and is a solid combat rifle. However, at 39 inches overall, it is a bit bulky for the confines of a tactical helicopter.
The XM177E2 was the stubby carbine version of the M16 that was just seeing widespread issue to Special Forces troops. It would yet be a while before there were enough carbines to filter down to aviation units. In the meantime, Wetzel and his mates scrounged whatever they could find.
The US gifted untold tons of WW2-surplus ordnance to the South Vietnamese. Among these weapons were huge numbers of vintage M3 Grease Guns as well as M2 carbines and Thompson SMGs. Many of these weapons ended up available for barter among American troops.
Among aircrews, folding stock Kalashnikovs were prized but hen’s-teeth rare. I have heard of captured cut-down RPD belt-fed machine guns being used as well, but they were about as common as Bigfoot or fiscally responsible Congressmen.
Flight crews not infrequently tucked an M79 40mm grenade launcher into their birds for a little serious thump. However, WW2-vintage .45ACP submachine guns were not uncommon. Wetzel packed a Tommy Gun himself.
The Thompson really was a niche tool. Those big, fat .45ACP rounds lost energy quickly at long ranges, and the thing was heavier than Aunt Edna’s prize Christmas fruit cake.
Additionally, the ergonomics were all wrong, so it took some attention to technique to run the gun accurately and well. However, for a generation raised on Saturday afternoon gangster movies, the Thompson carried some undeniable sex appeal.
RPG Impact: Gary Wetzel’s Huey Falls Into a Kill Zone
Standard Operating Procedure had Huey gunships in the lead to sterilize the landing zone with machine gun fire and rockets.
However, in this case, the gunships inexplicably fell behind. Wetzel’s slick was one of the first aircraft into the LZ. As they were on final approach, VC streamed out of the jungle like ants and opened fire. Wetzel noticed the RPG-2 rocket just before it impacted his aircraft.
I used to fly Army helicopters myself. They are amazingly capable machines. However, they were never designed to withstand hits from anti-tank weapons. The RPG struck the Huey solidly in the left front. Wetzel’s pilots got the stricken bird to the ground more or less intact, but they were in a world of hurt.
One of the pilots had his legs shot to pieces. Wetzel and his crew chief wrestled the stricken officer out of the aircraft and took cover behind the disabled machine. At that moment, one of the VC threw a Combloc grenade that exploded among them.
The blast liberally peppered Wetzel with shrapnel and shattered his left arm, leaving it dangling uselessly at an unnatural angle.
One Arm Ruined, Thompson Roaring: Wetzel Fights Back
So, imagine the scene. One moment, you’re making a low-level approach into a hostile LZ. Next, your aircraft is shot to pieces, and your pilot is bleeding to death. Then the VC blows your arm off. Most normal guys would have just rolled over and quit. However, Gary Wetzel was no normal guy.
The VC soldier who threw the first grenade was now readying a second. Firing his Thompson one-handed, Wetzel stitched the man up, causing him to drop his primed grenade. The little sputtering bomb exploded among the attacking VC and caused a brief lull in the incoming fire.
Wetzel and his crew chief took advantage of the respite to get tourniquets on the legs of the grievously wounded pilot. Then Wetzel noticed half a dozen VC struggling to remove his M60 from its pedestal mount on the side of the crashed helicopter. Once again, taking his Tommy Gun in his one remaining good hand, the badly wounded gunner took out all six with a long full-auto burst.
Despite their best efforts, the young pilot bled out and died. This was more than Gary Wetzel had signed up for this day. Now simply angry, he stuffed his useless left hand into his pistol belt so it wouldn’t flop around while he ran, stood up, and charged back over to the smoldering aircraft.
Back to the M60: Gary Wetzel Charges Through Enemy Fire
The VC had not been idle throughout all of this. They marshalled in the treeline and prepared for a massed attack.
The enemy well appreciated that the greatest strength of the American military was its essentially unlimited close air support. If they had any hope of defeating the American assault, they had to get in close, too close for helicopter gunships and fast mover jets to lay down effective supporting fires. What happened next would determine whether Wetzel and his buddies lived or died.
Under suffocating enemy fire, Gary Wetzel charged across the open rice paddy toward his pedestal-mounted machine gun. Communist bullets sleeted across the space by the hundreds. Then one of the charging VC stabbed him through the leg with a bayonet, knocking him to the ground.
I saw an interview with Gary Wetzel where he related what happened next in his own words. His left arm was essentially shot off, and he had just taken a bayonet to his leg.
His chest was thoroughly ventilated with shrapnel, as was his remaining good arm. He claimed he had no idea how he cleared the distance to the downed helicopter. He just said that the bayonet wound knocked him to the ground and that the next conscious memory he had was behind his gun.
The aircraft was dead, but Wetzel’s pig was just fine. He also had access to plenty of ammunition and was savvy enough to run his gun one-handed. Despite multiple horrific wounds, PFC Wetzel poured fire into the enemy emplacements. He eventually suppressed and then destroyed the VC gunners that had taken them under fire.
Bleeding Out, Wetzel Still Dragged His Buddies to Cover
With the major threat eliminated, there was still plenty to do. The VC kept shooting into the LZ, and there were scads of American wounded. Despite having his arm blown to pieces and having taken a stab wound through the leg, PFC Wetzel dragged injured American troops across the slippery mud of the rice paddy so that the medic could work to stabilize them. He lost consciousness several times due to his own bleeding, but refused to stop until his fellow soldiers were behind cover.
PFC Wetzel was eventually medevac’d. He lost his left arm but saved an LZ full of GIs. Here is his Medal of Honor citation:
Gary Wetzel’s Official Medal of Honor Citation
“Sp4c. Wetzel, 173d Assault Helicopter Company, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Wetzel was serving as door gunner aboard a helicopter which was part of an insertion force trapped in a landing zone by intense and deadly hostile fire. Sp4c. Wetzel was going to the aid of his aircraft commander when he was blown into a rice paddy and critically wounded by two enemy rockets that exploded just inches from his location. Although bleeding profusely due to the loss of his left arm and severe wounds in his right arm, chest, and left leg, Sp4c. Wetzel staggered back to his original position in his gun-well and took the enemy forces under fire. His machine gun was the only weapon placing effective fire on the enemy at that time. Through a resolve that overcame the shock and intolerable pain of his injuries, Sp4c. Wetzel remained at his position until he had eliminated the automatic-weapons emplacement that had been inflicting heavy casualties on the American troops and preventing them from moving against this strong enemy force. Refusing to attend his own extensive wounds, he attempted to return to the aid of his aircraft commander but passed out from loss of blood. Regaining consciousness, he persisted in his efforts to drag himself to the aid of his fellow crewman. After an agonizing effort, he came to the side of the crew chief who was attempting to drag the wounded aircraft commander to the safety of a nearby dike. Unswerving in his devotion to his fellow man, Sp4c. Wetzel assisted his crew chief even though he lost consciousness once again during this action. Sp4c. Wetzel displayed extraordinary heroism in his efforts to aid his fellow crewmen. His gallant actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.”
Source: Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Gary George Wetzel recipient record and official citation.
Gary Wetzel Comes Home: A Medal of Honor Legacy
Gary Wetzel returned home to Milwaukee after he recovered to take a job as a heavy equipment operator. This guy is a freaking animal, the kind of amazing American hero who made America what it is today. This one-armed military machine would not quit when quitting was the only reasonable thing to do. In so doing, he showed us all what it truly means to be a man.
Will is still trying to figure out what he really wants to be when he grows up. However, shooting guns and claiming it was work seemed like a pretty sweet hustle. As a result, Will serendipitously transformed an avocation into a vocation.
Raised in the Mississippi Delta, Will flew UH1H, OH58A/C, CH47D and AH1S helicopters operationally as an Army Aviator. He is SCUBA-qualified and has parachuted out of perfectly good airplanes at 3 o’clock in the morning. Will has summited Mount McKinley, Alaska, six times…always at the controls of an Army helicopter, which is the only way sensible folk climb mountains.
Will has delivered sixty babies and occasionally wrung human blood out of his socks. He is married to his high school sweetheart and has three awesome adult children. Turn-ons include vintage German machineguns, flying his sexy-cool RV6A airplane, Count Chocula cereal and the movie “Aliens.”
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One of his better efforts in my humble opinion! Grumpy
In Congress, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Georgia
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton
North Carolina
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton
Massachusetts
John Hancock
Maryland
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Pennsylvania
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean
New York
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
New Hampshire
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire
Matthew Thornton
It took a lot of guts to do this as they could of been hanged or worse for doing this! Grumpy
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