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July 2012
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Sgt. Major’s Desk
“ It has become appallingly obvious
That our technology has exceeded
Our humanity “
Albert Einstein
Upcoming Events
July 3-Pops Concert ( San Angelo Riverstage )
July 4-Artillery salutes on the hour.
Fort Concho Parade
July 28-National Cowboy Day
Our thanks to Greg and Donna Hector for
anchoring our annual display at the fort at the
Texas Folklife Festival this past June 8-10.
David Johnson, King Walker, Stella and Joe
Gonzales and I joined the crew. Despite the
traditionally punishing heat and humidity, it was
enjoyable event and it is amazing how many exSan Angeloans one meets in San Antonio.
Thanks to Chris Morgan and the gun crew for
playing a role in the Change of Command for
the 344th MIB stationed at Goodfellow AFB.
We have hosted this traditional ceremony for
more than twenty years. We thank LTC John
Bonin for his past two years and wish him and
family well at his new post at Carlisle, PA. The
new CO for the 344th is LTC Devon Blake,
with whom we look forward to working with.
The US Army battalion at Goodfellow plays a
vital role in our Christmas event and other activities at the fort throughout the year. The nation’s 236th birthday approaches!!! The Fort
Concho Artillery will be coordinating the salutes as part of the Annual Pops Concert on
July 3 and the crew will fire an hourly salute on
the Parade Ground on July 4, 10-3 pm. Call
Chris Morgan at 657-4443 for details. The flagpole returns!!! Thanks to Concho Valley CoOp and their heavy-duty equipment, we got a
repaired and repainted flagpole back in the
ground. Drop by Barracks 1 and see our summer display, “ Cowboy Culture of the Concho
Valley,” an exhibit of saddles, clothing and
equipment that reflects the cowboys of this region from the late 1800s to the mid-twentieth
century. Fort Concho may have secured this
region for settlement ( continued on page two )
( continued from page one ) but cowboys and cattle played a major economic role for the area’s first
fifty years. We celebrate National Cowboy Day with a classic cowhand breakfast and skits by the
Concho Cowboy Company, 8-10 am, Saturday, July 28, Barracks 5-6 Courtyard. $ 10 donation will
get you fed well to start the day. In the future!!! Speakers Series on September Wednesdays, 12-1
pm; Archaeology Fair on October 13; Veterans Day Parade on November 3; Christmas at Old Fort
Concho, December 7-9. Thank you for your service to Fort Concho
Folklife Festival 2012 ( San Antonio )
This annual event was headed up by Principal musician Greg Hector who was joined by King Walker, David
Johnson and Bob Bluthardt to extol the virtues of Fort
Concho, the frontier army and the joys of wool uniforms in West Texas. Donna Hector provided the starch
to keep this crew looking military as they wilted in the
heat. Frosty beverages anyone.
Antipasto Chicken
4 Chicken Breast halves
1 tblspn Olive Oil
1 tspn Garlic Pepper
1 small Green Pepper, chopped
2 medium Tomatoes, chopped
2 oz sliced Ripe Olives
1 tblspn chopped Basil Leaves
Feta Cheese
6 oz marinated Artichoke Hearts
Heat oil in large skillet. Sprinkle garlic pepper over chicken.
Cook chicken in oil about 8 minutes, turning once , until brown
on both sides. Mix remaining ingredients in bowl except cheese
Spoon mixture over chicken. Cook another 10 minutes or until
chicken is no longer pink in center. Sprinkle with feta cheese.
If you prefer the darker meat of the bird, use 8 chicken thighs
instead. Serve the chicken meat over a plate of pasta of your
choice. Add warm focaccia and cooked zucchini slices for
a dinner with a authentic Italian feel.
Presidential Trivia According to the US Constitution, a
person can only become president if he or she is born in the
United Sates. That’s why there was controversy about
whether Chester A Arthur, the 21st president, should have
had the right to the job. Arthur was officially listed as being
born in Fairfield, Vermont, a town in the northwest corner of
the state near the Canadian border. But over the years some
people have argued that Arthur was in fact born in Quebec.
In fact, Burke’s Presidential Families of the United States of
America says that despite the official birthplace, Arthur “ was
probably born in Canada.” Other sources make the same
claim, almost off-handedly, but argue that since his parents
were US citizens Arthur’s eligibility for the presidency wasn’t
challenged. But in fact, his eligibility was challenged around
1881 when Arthur was the vice-presidential candidate running
with James Garfield. Several of Arthur’s political enemies
spread rumors that he was born in Canada and should be
disqualified from the race. According to Thomas C Reeves, a biographer of Arthur’s, the Democrats
hired a New York attorney named Arthur Hinman to explore these rumors and make a report. Hinman seems to have gotten carried away because he came back saying Arthur was born in Ireland and
was brought to the US as a boy of 14. However, Hinman abandoned this theory and later alleged
that Arthur was born in Quebec ( lower Canada at the time ) at his grandparents’ house. Hinman
says Arthur’s mother often visited her parents in Dunham in Quebec. Hinman published a pamphlet
in 1884 called ‘ How a British Subject became President of the United States.” Another biographer
George Howe describes this theory as “ an interesting hoax “ that received little attention at the time.
Because many saw Garfield as a young, vital president, they probably didn’t have to worry much
about Arthur’s background. However, in 1881, Garfield was assassinated and Arthur became president. Apparently one acquaintance was heard to say in disbelief, “ Good God, Chet Arthur, President of the United States.” Arthur had never held elected office in his life, but had been more of a
backroom political figure. He also distinguished himself as a lawyer fighting a case in which he defended a black woman who had been kicked off a streetcar. His win in that case eventually led to the
desegregation of the New York transportation system. The day after Arthur took the presidential
oath, the New York Sun ran an article refuting the claims about Arthur being born in Canada. But
there are interesting tidbits surrounding this story. First, several sources list Arthur’s birth date as October 5, 1830, but Reeves said Arthur was actually born October 5, 1829 and changed the date out of
vanity. Arthur’s father was an Irish immigrant who first came to Canada, living in Stanstead and
Dunham, Quebec and eventually preached in communities in both Quebec and Vermont. Arthur’s
mother, Malvina, did live in Quebec for a time and her parents lived there until the 1850s. As well,
before he died, Arthur destroyed all his personal papers. And while Arthur was listed as being born
in Fairfield, some residents believe he was really born in nearby Waterville, Vermont. In the end,
there seemed to be no proof of this claim that Arthur was born in Canada and there is a marker in
Vermont pointing out where the 21st president was supposedly born. Arthur died November 18,
1886.
This month in History: July 1, 1874-1st US kidnapping for ransom, 4 year old Charles
Ross, $20,000. July 2, 1850-Benjamin Lane patents gas mask with a breathing apparatus. July 3,
1871-Jesse James robs bank in Corydon, Iowa of $ 45.000. July 4, 1884-Statue of Liberty presented
to US by France. July 5, 1814-Americans defeat British and Canadians at Chippewa, Ontario, Canada. July 6, 1798-US law makes aliens “ liable to be apprehended , restrained and removed as enemy aliens. July 7, 1456-Though she had already been executed, Joan of Arc is acquitted. July 8,
1835-Liberty Bell cracks, again. July 9, 1795-James Swan pays of the US National debt of
$ 2,024,899. July 10, 1040-Lady Godiva rides naked on horseback to force her husband, the Earl of
Mercia, to lower taxes. July 11, 1812-US invades Canada ( Detroit frontier ) July 12, 1859-William
Goodale of Massachusetts, patents a machine that produces paper bags. July 13, 1836-US patent # 1
( after 9,957 unnumbered patents ) for locomotive wheels. July 14, 1850-1st public demonstration
of ice made by refrigeration. July 15, 1830-Three Indian tribes, Sioux, Fox and Sauk sign a treaty
that gives most of Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri to the US. July 16, 1439-Kissing is banned in England ( to stop the spread of germs. ) July 17, 1821-Spain cedes Florida to the US. July 18, 64-Gtreat
fire of Rome begins. ( Nero didn't fiddle ) July 19, 1553-Fifteen year old Lady Jane Grey is deposed
as Queen of England after only 9 days. July 20, 1858-Fee first charged to see a baseball game ( 50
cents ) ( New York beats Brooklyn 22-18 ) July 21, 1588-English fleet defeats the Spanish Armada.
July 22, 1298-English defeat Scots at Battle of Falkirk. July 23, 1840-Union Act passed by British
Parliament-uniting Lower and Upper Canada. July 24, 1487-Citizens of Leeuwarden, Netherlands
rebel against ban on foreign beer. July 25, 1689-France declares war on England. July 26, 1790-US
passes Assumption Bill making US responsible for state debts. July 27, 1586-Sir Walter Raleigh
brings first tobacco to England from Virginia. July 28, 1586-Sir Thomas Harriot introduces potatoes
to Europe. July 29, 1676-Nathaniel Bacon declared a rebel for assembling frontiersmen to protect
settlers from Indians. July 30, 1898-Will Keith Kellogg invents Corn Flakes. July 31, 1893– Henry
Perky patents Shredded Wheat.
On Thursday, June 14 2012, LTC John Bonin relinquished command of the 344th MIB ( stationed at
Goodfellow AFB ) to LTC Devon Blake. The ceremony took place on the Fort Concho parade, linking
the army of the past with the army of the present.
Fort Concho provided the artillery support with
1stSgt Kerbow, Sgt Cook, Corp Worsham, Pvt Johnson, Pvt Walker, Pvt Bitner and Maj Morgan crewing the piece. Well done….HAU.
Scamper says: A good friend is someone who helps you up
when you fall, a best friend is someone who laughs and trips
you again.
The Legend of Red Ghost The US Army introduced
camels to the Southwest back in the 1850s, using them as beasts
of burden while surveying a road across northern Arizona. But,
the Civil War interrupted the great camel experiment and most
of the critters were sold at auction. A few were turned loose to
run wild—and therein lies the basis for the Legend of Red
Ghost. The story begins back in 1883 at a ranch near Eagle
Creek in southwestern Arizona. The Apache wars were drawing to a close. However, a few renegade bands were still on the
prowl, keeping isolated ranches in a constant state of siege.
Early one morning, two men rode out to check on the livestock
leaving their wives at the ranch with the children. About midmorning, one of the women went down to the spring to fetch
water while the other remained in the house with the children.
Suddenly one of the dogs started barking. The woman inside
the house heard a terrifying scream. Looking out then window,
she saw a huge, reddish-hued beast run by with a devilishlooking creature strapped on its back. The frightened woman
barricaded herself in the house and waited for the men to return. That night they found the other woman trampled to death. The next day cloven hoof prints
much larger than those of a horse were found along with long strands of reddish hair. A few days
later, a party of prospectors near Clifton were awakened by the sound of thundering hoofs and earpiercing screams. Their tent collapsed and the men clawed their way out of the tangle just in time to
see a gigantic creature run off in the moonlight. The next day they too found cloven hoof prints and
long reddish hair. A few months after the incident with the miners, Cyrus Hamblin, a rancher on
the Salt River, rode up on the animal while rounding up cows. He recognized it as a camel, with
something that resembled a human skeleton tied to its back. Hamblin, an honest man not given to
tall tales was not believed by his friends. Several weeks later, another group of prospectors over on
the Verde River saw the camel and they fired on it with the rifles. The camel bolted at the gunfire
and was not hit but a part of the strange object on its back fell to the ground. What they saw made
the hair on the necks standup: a human skull with dried flesh and hair still attached. About a year
later, a cowboy near Phoenix came upon the Red Ghost eating grass in a corral. Traditionally, cowboys have been unable to resist the temptation to rope anything that wears hair and this fellow was
no exception. He built a fast loop in his rope and tossed it over the camel’s head. Suddenly the angry beast turned and charged. The cowboy’s horse tried to dodge, but to no avail. Horse and rider
went down, and as the camel galloped off the astonished cowboy recognized the skeletal remains of
a man lashed to its back. The creature made its last appearance nine years later in eastern Arizona.
A rancher awoke one morning and saw the huge animal casually grazing in his garden. He drew a
careful bead with his Winchester and dropped the camel with one shot. An examination of the creature convinced all that this was indeed the fabled Red Ghost. The animal’s back was heavily scarred
from rawhide strips that had been used to tie down the body of a man. Some of the leather strands
had cut into the camel’s flesh. But how the human body came to be attached to the back of the
camel remains a cruel mystery. ( Marshall Trimble—Arizona state historian )
Flags, Colors, Standards, Guidons:
1464. The garrison flag is the national flag. It is made
of bunting, thirty six feet fly and twenty feet hoist, in thirteen horizontal stripes of
equal breadth, alternately red and white, beginning with red. In the upper quarter,
next to the staff, is the Union, composed of a number of white stars, equal to the number of states on a blue field, one-third the length of the flag, extending to the lower
edge of the fourth red stripe from the top. The storm flag is twenty x ten feet; the recruiting flag is nine feet nine inches x four feet four inches.
Colors of Artillery Regiments: 1465. Each regiment of Artillery shall have two silken colors.
The first, or the national color, of stars and stripes, as described for the garrison flag.
The number and name of the regiment to be embroidered with gold on the center
stripe. The second, or regimental color, to be yellow of the same dimensions as the
first, bearing in the center two cannon crossing, with the letters U S above and the
number of the regiment below; fringe yellow. Each color to be six feet six inches fly
and six feet deep on the pike. The pike, including the spear and ferrule, to be nine
feet 10 inches in length. Cords and tassels, red and yellow silk intermixed.
Colors of Infantry Regiments: 1466. Each regiment of Infantry shall have two silken colors.
The first or national color, of stars and stripes as described for the garrison flag; the
number and name of the regiment to be embroidered with silver on the center stripe.
The second, or regimental color, to be blue with the arms of the United States embroidered in silk on the center. The name of the regiment in a scroll underneath the
eagle. The size of each color to be six feet six inches fly and six feet deep on the pike.
The length of the pike including the spear and the ferrule to be nine feet ten inches.
The fringe yellow; cords and tassels, blue and white silk intermixed.
Camp Colors: 1467. The camp colors are of bunting, eighteen inches square; white for infantry
and red for artillery with the number of the regiment on them. The pole eight feet long.
Standards and Guidons of Mounted Regiments: 1468. Each regiment will have a silken
standard and each company a silken guidon. The standard to bear the arms of
the United States embroidered in silk on a blue ground with the number and
name of the regiment in a scroll underneath the eagle. The flag of the standard
to be two feet five inches wide and two feet three inches wide on the lance and to
be edged with yellow silk fringe.
1469. The flag of the guidon is swallow-tailed, three feet five inches from the
lance to the end of the swallow-tail; fifteen inches to the fork of the swallow-tail; two feet three inches
on the lance. To be half red and half white, dividing at the fork, the red above. On the red, the letters
US in white and on the white, the letter of the company in red. The lance of the standards and guidons to be nine feet long including spear and ferrule. ( Revised United States Army Regulations of
1863 )
Paintball Guns
As we continue our exploration of
non-lethal weapons, my favorite
came to mind, paintball guns. Paintball is a sport where opponents use
guns or “ markers “ loaded with
harmless paint and play a variety of
war and hunting games. The “ paint
“ balls are many small containers
filled with paint, usually gel caps. The guns or markers are powered by compressed gas. Paintball
markers evolved from the gas-powered guns used during the 1970s for other purposes, such as those
used by the forestry service to mark trees and trails or by farmers to mark cattle. The guns had to be
redesigned to regulate the power and speed for the safety of Paintball the sport. The game of Paintball naturally evolved as the users of the marking guns started horsing around and aimed the guns
and markers at one another. A milestone in the history of Paintball occurred in 1981 when 12
friends played a version of “ Capture the flag “ using the tree-marking guns. The 12 friends decided
to buy into a tree-marking gun manufacturer called Nelson and started promoting and selling the
guns to the public for use with the new recreational
sport. In 1982, the first Paintball field was opened in
Rochester, New York. The Nelson Paint Company was
founded in 1940 by Charles and Evan Nelson...Faced
with the challenge of marking trees in hard to reach
places, Charles Nelson invented a paint pellet that could
be shot out of a gun. This first paint pellet was not intended for the sport of Paintball—It was intended for the
forestry industry. Likewise, the first commonly used
Paintball gun was actually designed for the forestry industry—the Nelspot 007, invented by James Hale in 1974. The first gun specifically designed for
playing Paintball was the Splatmaster invented by Robert Shepherd in 1985. George Skogg invented
a “ washable marking fluid formulation for soft gelatin capsules “—a Paintball bullet recipe in 1987.
The fluid when packaged in a soft gelatin capsule
produced projectiles that were
more accurate and stable and made bright, highly
visible marks that could be easily washed out with water ad/or detergent and were
ideally suited for use in the
sports and game exercises. The military and police
use paintball guns for use in exercises and training as
an inexpensive and safer alternative to live fire.
The sport of Paintball has evolved to include full
automatic weapons, grenades, mines, artillery and
tanks. All with the purpose to hurl paint at our
fellow man with non-lethal but sometimes painful
consequences. But it is better to give than receive.
Fort Concho Museum
Non Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
Paid
San Angelo, Texas
Permit No. 60
National Historic Landmark
630 South Oakes
San Angelo, Texas 76903
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Questions and comments can be directed to the above personnel by calling Fort Concho at —
325-657-4443 or 325-657-4444.
E-mail—[email protected]//WEB:: www.fortconcho.com
The Fort Concho Dispatch may also be viewed on our website.
Look for us Facebook.
Sic Semper Tyrannis
Robert Bluthardt……….….Sgt.Major//Director
Christopher Morgan….…Ordnance//Quartermaster//Education
Paul Cook……………………..…Staff Liaison//Buffalo Soldiers//Stable Sgt.
Cory Robinson…………….…Staff Liaison//Cavalry//Baseball
Gregg Hector…………….......Bugler//Artillery
Cynthia Bishop……………...Staff Liaison//Schoolmarm//Laundress
Jim Kerbow…..….….…..…... 1stSgt//Company F, 16th
Rick Brown…………….….….. 1stSgt//Company A, 10th
Gary Carpenter………..….…1st Sgt//Company D, 4th