American Patriot 23

AMERICANPATRIOT VIEW IN

FULLSCREENCLICK ABOVEAPRIL 14, 2010

FDR’S HOME AT HYDE PARKKOREAN WAR MEMORIALFREEDOM IS NOT FREE

SAN FRANCISCO’S

BRIDGE OF GOLD

AMERICANPATRIOT

SAN FRANCISCO’S

BRIDGE OF GOLD

46

GENE AUTRYTHE SINGING COWBOY8

KOREAN WAR MEMORIALFREEDOM IS NOT FREE

THIS WEEKIN AMERICANHISTORY

QUOTE OFTHE WEEK

14 15

REMINDER TO

AMERICAN PATRIOTSUBSCRIBERS

Of all the exclusive discounts offered to Ameri-can Patriot subscribers, perhaps none is morerelevant this week than that from H&R Block.You get a 20% discount when using H&R Blockonline, with the special link below. The world’slargest tax preparations business, founded in1955, prepares 1 in every 7 tax returns and hashelped clients obtain nearly $30 billion in tax re-funds. So if, like millions of Americans, you havenot already filed your tax return, take advantage ofthe best in the business with the exclusive dis-count offered to American Patriot subscribers!

FDR’S HOME ATHYDE PARK

1012

HARRIET TUBMANAND THE UNDERGROUNDRAILROAD

CLICK HERE FOR AN EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTFOR AMERICAN PATRIOT SUBSCRIBERS

4 AMERICAN PATRIOT

SAN FRANCISCO’SBRIDGE OF GOLD

AMERICAN PATRIOT 5

Before the Golden Gate Bridge was built,the traffic from the ferries crossing fromSan Francisco to and from suburban andrural Marin County became intolerable. Asthe docks became crowded, the city ofSan Francisco decided that a bridge — theconcept for which had been proposed andrejected many times before — absolutelyneeded to be built.

After vigorous and angry battles in courts,pro-bridge builders prevailed and, in 1928,the plans for financing and construction cameto fruition. The suspension bridge was com-pleted in 1937, standing at 1.7 miles longand 90 feet wide. Part of US Route 101,the Golden Gate Bridge was, as noted above,the longest suspension bridge in the worldat the time — until it was eclipsed by NewYork’s Verrazano Bridge in 1964.

The bridge is painted Orange Vermillion alsoknown as International Orange. The colorhas a beautiful sheen as the sun hits thebridge at dusk. Because of its beauty andfame, it has been featured in the mediamany times including the recent Star Trek,Full House, and Vertigo. On May 28, 1987,

the bridge celebrated its fiftieth birthday,during which it was closed to vehicles andhosted an estimated 300,000 pedestriansover the course of the day. The Golden GateBridge is one of San Francisco’s most famedtourist attraction and approximately 45 mil-lion vehicles pass over the bridge annually.Attesting (unfortunately) to its magneticdraw, the bridge is also the number onespot for suicides in the world.

The Golden Gate Bridge is named for the Golden Gate Strait at theentrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. It is amarvelof engineering, the longest suspension bridge span in theworld formanyyears, a beautiful looking feat of architecture, and the internationalsymbol of San Francisco and California.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MOREABOUT THIS FAMOUS BRIDGE

6 AMERICAN PATRIOT

GENE AUTRYTHE SINGING COWBOY

Autry frequented the airwaves for more than

three decades in both radio and television. An

actual cowboy, Autry was born and bred in Texas

and Oklahoma. His career kicked off in Tulsa

OK where he was named “Oklahoma’s Yodeling

Cowboy.” On the radio, Autry could be heard

on Sunday evenings for 16 years on the Melody

Ranch show via CBS. The show ran for an un-

precedented length, and featured comedy acts,

drama and, of course, the sweet melodies of

the man himself.

When television became popular, he was there.

He produced The Gene Autry Show, and his

Flying A production company would produce

other classic Western shows such as Annie

Oakley, Buffalo Bill Jr., and The Adventures of

Champion. Not satisfied with the small screen,

he was also featured in 93 motion pictures during

his lifetime including Back in the Saddle, The

Last Round-Up, and Sierra Sue. Autry won five

stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his

television and movie roles. Autry joined the

greats in the Radio Hall of Fame in 2003. At

personal appearances, such as a sold-out rodeo

at Madison Square Garden, his fans would go wild

with enthusiasm. He is considered by many to

be the greatest Western star of all time.

Autry served in the military during World War

11 as a flight officer. In his early life, Autry had

been offered an opportunity to play in the minor

leagues, but after declining he never gave up

his love for baseball. Late in life, when his savvy

investments made him a multi-millionaire, he

became owner of the Los Angeles Angels. From

1983 to his death in 1998, Autry was also a

vice president of the American League. He

never saw the Angels make the World Series

but the team retired his number “26.”

AMERICAN PATRIOT 7

Television cowboys were a staple of the early years of the newmedium—Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Hopalong Cassidy, Sky King. But no one wasmorepopular than Gene Autry. Known as “The Singing Cowboy,” he was also acomposer, well known for hits such as “Back in the Saddle Again,” “TearsOnMYPillow,” “Rudolf the RedNoseReindeer,” and “Frosty the Snowman.”Yes, Frosty and Rudolph were his.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUTMORE ABOUT GENE AUTRY

8 AMERICAN PATRIOT

KOREAN WAR MEMORIALFREEDOM IS NOT FREEEngraved on the black granite near the water pool at the KoreanWar VeteransMemorial inWashington DC, the Honor Roll of themenandwomenwho fought in theKoreanWar remindAmericansof tolls of the war. The site is located adjacent to the LincolnMemorial directly across the reflecting pool from the VietnamVeterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

AMERICAN PATRIOT 9

The monument was authorized by Congress in

1986, and the construction was overseen by

the Korean War Veterans Memorial Advisory

Committee and the American Battle Monuments

Commission. Walls create the memorial’s design

of a triangle intersecting with a circle. Frank

Gaylord was commissioned to design 19 stain-

less steel statues within the walls, each over 7

feet high, representing a squad on patrol.

The number 19 is not random, it is half of 38

representing the 38th parallel line that separated

the two Korean, one Communist and one a

democracy. Blowing ponchos create the illusion

that they are walking up the hill symbolizing

the difficult terrain of the peninsula, while their

fatigues are exactly true to the era of the Korean

War. The soldiers depicted in the statues rep-

resent the diversity of Americans who fought

in the war.

Other highlights of the 2.2 acre memorial in-

clude The Sharon of Rose hibiscus plantings

and Pool of Remembrance. Both of which are

intended to remind visitors of the terrain of Korea.

The Pool of Remembrance is encompassed by

a circle of trees allowing the visitor a quiet

place for reflection; on a stone nearby is etched

and inlaid in silver: “Freedom is not free.”

Graphic artist Louis Nelson designed a Mural

Wall which displays 2,500 images of the war

from the National Archives sandblasted into

black granite. A separate United Nations Wall

lists the 22 nations that contributed to the war

effort. The memorial powerfully captures the

rugged and violent nature of the Korean War

and honored those who died to protect a free

South Korea from aggression.

THE COLDEST WAR,A KOREAN WAR MEMOIR

10 AMERICAN PATRIOT

FDR’S HOME AT

HYDE PARK

AMERICAN PATRIOT 11

The estate itself is home of the furnished

“Springwood,” the main house on the property

where Roosevelt grew up and lived as an adult,

as well as the FDR’s Presidential museum, Top

Cottage (pictured right), stables, FDR’s grave

site, and many serene and beautiful hiking trails.

FDR’s father James Roosevelt bought the estate

in 1866 for $40,000 and raised his family in

the Springwood house. FDR played on the es-

tate as a youth and then was educated there

as a teenager.

After leaving for a few years at Harvard, Franklin

married Eleanor and moved into the house with

his mother. During his presidency, Roosevelt

used the house often for vacations and political

conferences. FDR hosted Queen Elizabeth and

King George IV on the spot during the first time

an English monarch visited the United States.

He hoped to retire at Top Cottage at the end of

his days, but, of course, that was not to be as

he died in office.

In 1943, Roosevelt donated the entire estate

to the American people under the condition

that his family had a life-time right of usage.

The National Park has guided tours of the estate

throughout the year. Children’s programs are

hosted for free during the summer months, also

starting in May, a tram takes visitors around

the property. Visitors can stroll the gardens, like

FDR and Eleanor’s rose garden. The park has

century old trees on the grounds. FDR boasted

that he was a professional tree farmer, and even

listed it as one of his occupations. All in all, a

visit to Hyde Park provides a great insight into

America’s thirty second president’s life outside

the White House, and to a time and place of

great events.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s estate at Hyde Park illuminatesthe life of one of America’s greatest Presidents, a man whoconfronted crippling polio, the Great Depression and the epicWorldWar II. The historic site of HydePark is just 90miles out-side ofNewYorkCity in Dutchess County, but feels like aworldaway. Of the estate, the President once said: “All that is withinme cries out to go back to my home on the Hudson River.”

WATCH A VIDEO AND SLIDESHOW OF HYDE PARK

12 AMERICAN PATRIOT

HARRIET TUBMANAND THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

Following the North Star by night to Pennsylvania,

Tubman found work and saved her money, and, in

an act of supreme bravery, went back to rescue

her sister and her sister’s children. Then she went

back, a third time, for her brother. On the third

trip, she went to meet with her husband and

found that he had remarried.

Heartbroken but resolved to free as many of her

people as possible, she regularly made the trip

South and escorted slaves to the North. Even with

a $40,000 bounty on her head by slavemasters,

she continued her travels. She was even able to

rescue her 70 year old parents in a brutally slow

and difficult trip. Tubman was always working to

devise clever and well-thought out techniques to

make the trips as smooth and safe as possible.

She was particularly lucky to find sympathetic

Quakers along the trail to stay with and to feed her

group. She became famous among both Aboli-

tionists and pro-slavery groups.

Americans today know her feat as the Underground

Railroad due to a book published by William Still

about her adventures published in 1871. Her en-

deavor was highly spiritualistic and she was often

referred to as Moses; slaves who awaited her

arrival often sang “Go Down Moses” and other

similar spirituals. During the Civil War, Tubman

worked as a cook, nurse, and spy for the Union.

After the war, she settled in Auburn, NY. There,

Tubman took up the suffragist cause and, in 1896,

she was a delegate to the National Association of

Colored Women's first annual convention. She

believed the right to vote was vital to preserving

their freedom. She died in 1913, honored and

recognized as a great American heroine. On March

10, 1990, Congress designated that day as

“Harriet Tubman Day” in honor of her 19 coura-

geous trips as “conductor” of the Underground

Railroad scientists for being more of a chemist

and cook than a true scientific mind. Most his-

torians generally emphasize how his inventions

and insights helped millions of people.

WATCH A BRIEF DOCUMENTARYVIDEO ON HARRIET TUBMAN

Born as a slave in Maryland, Harriet Tubman was moved from a house slaveto a field slave at the age of seven. During her time working in the fields, shewas struck in the head by an angry master and for the rest of her life sufferedfainting spells. When she was about 20 years old, she married a freed man,John Tubman and resolved to run away, so she could not be sold.

QUOTE OFTHE WEEK

Spring is nature's way of saying,“Let's party!”

— ROBIN WILLIAMS COMEDIAN AND ACTOR

14 AMERICAN PATRIOT

THIS WEEK INAMERICAN HISTORY

AMERICAN PATRIOT 15

1999.The New York Yankees dedicate a plaque at YankeeStadium in honor of Joe DiMaggio.

Upgrade Your LifeUpgrade Your LifeWith Smart Circle Cards

Live better. Live smart.

Let’s face it. Most of us, even if we haven’t lost a job or seen our retirement savings shrink, have taken a hard look at how we spend our money. That is smart thinking.

Many people have cut back on things they really enjoy likevacations, recreation, entertainment, and dining out. Golfers play fewer rounds, massage enthusiasts don’t spend quite as much time at the spa, fans are catching fewer games. That smarts!

You can still enjoy vacationing at a resort, playing golf at great courses, spending a day at the spa, dining out, and other activities you love without busting your new budget. How?

By spending smarter with Smart Circle Cards.

Visit us at www.smartcirclecards.netor call us at 1-800-775-1975 to see how you can get four rounds of golf for the price of one, three spa services for less than the price of a massage, 50% off dining, and more.

Use the savings code AMPAT15

at checkout

Save 15%

US01-1452_8.5x11_Layout 1 11/30/09 10:28 AM Page 2