Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and — whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness”:
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favor, able interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other trangressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
We are grateful for the Washington Times!
Our Op-ed appeared today. Below is the originally submitted draft with useful links. Feel free to submit your comment(s) at the bottom of the page!
Fishing On The Korean DMZ
A lesson on meaning what we say
By
Dave Harbour
Thanks to Washington Times staff for graphic!
The General, Colonel and I waded into the Imjin River, on our side of the “no man’s land” Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Our new, Shakespeare fishing poles from the Post Exchange were loaded with Zebco spinning reels, monofilament line and Mepps spinners. The holstered pistols on our hips were also loaded.
On this sunny summer Saturday in 1969, A ROK Armored unit, artillery and a ROK infantry division on our side of the rocky shoreline pointed dozens of big guns North, over our heads at the other side.
DPRK propaganda speakers boomed unfriendly threats at us across the riverbed (“You running dog imperialists!”).
What a sight, as we arrived in our Huey chopper an hour earlier! Our ROK troops had erected large, white circus tents, with a food line (the tantalizing smell of Korean BBQ drifting across the river toward the starving enemy) as enchanting, Korean love songs overpowered the DPRK propaganda announcements.
Those days, like today, tensions were deadly. Our U.S. and Korean land, sea and air forces were the military “shield” that stood between Kim Il-sung’s “million man army” and the ROK capital, Seoul, a mere 35 miles south of our position.
We knew that North Korean artillery was aimed over our heads at our ROK tanks while countless rifles were likely trained on us fishermen.
We waded deeper through the cold current of that pristine, never-fished river, casting, laughing, talking loudly…just short of the razor’s edge of the DMZ separating the two Koreas.
We carefully edged upstream as we casted, General William P. Yarborough up front. Colonel Arthur David “Bull” Simons followed the boss and I kept an eye on them from my caboose position. About 150 yards separated each of us. We landed a half-dozen trout and acted for our enemy audience as if we were having a jolly old time.
Yarborough was daring the enemy with our lives to attack and, “Make our day”; now, that’s what a ‘no-bluff line in the sand’ looks like!
Older readers remember that this was the time of frequent incursions by communist infiltrators across the DMZ. Mission: kill and terrorize rice farmers on our side, test our defenses and prepare for an attack on Seoul. They knew that our forces were occupied with other challenges, including the raging Vietnam War and domestic unrest.
This was also the era of the “Pueblo’s capture”. Some refer these years between 1966-69 as the “Second Korean War”, in view of continuous acts of North Korea’s murderous border crossings.
Most Americans are unaware that we are still at a “state of war” with the DPRK. The “Armistice” signed in 1953 provided only for a suspension of conventional warfare.
Our tough military has faced the North over the years. But our leaders have allowed U.N. resolutions to go largely unenforced as the threat grows.
So now, the grandson of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, has nuclear capability and missiles: likely, soon capable of hitting my home in Alaska, 3,800 miles away… and other west coast targets.
Both Yarborough and Simons were veterans of US Army Special Warfare Center/School for Special Warfare at Fort Bragg. They were classic warriors, well studied in modern military science. They were masters of conventional, non-conventional and psychological warfare strategies and tactics, students of many of the ‘greats’, from Sun Tsu to von Clausewitz, Patton and MacArthur.
They were bold, resourceful and calculated risk takers…best illustrated by Ken Follett’s later book, “On Wings of Eagles”, featuring Simons’ assignment after retirement, from H. Ross Perot, to rescue his EDS employees held hostage in Iran.
* * *
During this Veterans Day Week, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton has been commenting on the challenges President-elect Trump faces today.
Bolton is an experienced, wise strategist who might also have been comfortable making a psywar point while fishing with us those many years ago on the Imjin.
He has correctly noted that, “Pyongyang has outmatched Washington in every negotiation since the Korean War.”
Bolton is right that the best path toward a DPRK solution now will involve China.
* * *
I am not saying that our leaders should all go fishing today on the Korean Peninsula’s DMZ.
I am saying that in this dangerous world all of our adversaries, enemies and friends alike should know by our actions that we stand our ground—as Yarborough once demonstrated.
All should believe America won’t try to buy peace with appeasement.
All should be confident that when we draw a line in the sand, we will act to enforce our fair warning.
All should know America will defend our national security with our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.
(Above updated 4-17-17; see Washington Times Link Here)
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Dave Harbour served as Public Affairs Officer to the late LTG William P. Yarborough, overseeing public affairs relationships between the 120,000 member I Corps (Group) and Republic of Korea civilian and military communities from 1968-69. Before moving to Alaska, where he now resides, he also served as 1st U.S. Army Community Relations Officer, supervising General William C. Westmoreland’s Army Speakers Program. Harbour is Commissioner Emeritus of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Chairman Emeritus of the Alaska Oil & Gas Congress, former Chairman of the Alaska Council on Economic Education and current Publisher of www.northerngaspipelines.com.
Harbour is a candidate for a diplomatic post in Ecuador.
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