The Songs Soldiers Sang

At 5 a.m. on the morning of the 11^th of November 1918, an armistice—a cessation of hostilities as a prelude to peace negotiations—was signed between Germany and the Allied Powers, effectively putting an end to The Great Was (World War I). The hostilities were to cease six hours later, at 11:00 a.m.—the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918.

For 35 years November 11^th was known and celebrated as Armistice Day. Then the designation was changed to Veterans Day to celebrate all veterans of all America’s many wars.

I have a theory that other folks may share: if you want facts to put in your head, read a book, attend a lecture, watch a documentary film, etc. If you want to touch your heart, read a poem or listen to a song (or, better still, sing a song). So, in honor of today, I am sharing songs of American's many wars.

The Revolutionary War

The War of 1812

The Mexican War

The Civil War: Union

The Civil War: Confederacy

Indian Wars (2nd half 19th Century)

Spanish-American War

The Great War (WWI)

World War II

Korean War

Vietnam

Gulf War

Iraq

I have spent quite a bit of time researching and writing this post. Still, it is far from complete. There are many more songs that I have not listed. There are many wars, too. After all, since 1776 the United States has been at war 91% of the time, making us the most warlike nation since ancient Rome.

Let me put this in perspective:

* Pick any year since 1776 and there is about a 91% chance that America was involved in some war during that calendar year.

* No U.S. president truly qualifies as a peacetime president.  Instead, all U.S. presidents can technically be considered “war presidents.”

* The U.S. has never gone a decade without war.

* The only time the U.S. went five years without war (1935-40) was during the isolationist period of the Great Depression.

So, to end this post, please hear this one song: