The AOH and LAOH honored legendary Pittsburgh Steeler and inspirational veteran advocate Rocky Bleier with the JFK Memorial Medal at the recent convention in in Pittsburgh. AOH National President Daniel J. O’Connell with 2022 JFK Recipient Rocky Bleier, The first award of the medal was made in 1966 to the Hon. James Farley, former Postmaster General under Franklin D. Roosevelt. Farley, the grandson of Irish immigrants, managed FDR's presidential campaigns in 1932 and 1936 and was an influential member of the New Deal "Brain Trust". The University of Notre Dame awarded Farley its … [Read more...] about The First JFK Medal
Hancock and Armistead
A monument to Major General Winfield Scott Hancock at Gettysburg National Military Park. It was dedicated in 1896 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Historians and Hollywood producers alike have held up the story of Union Major General Winfield Scott Hancock and Confederate Brigadier General Lewis Armistead to illustrate the tragedy of internecine warfare. Hancock and Armistead had developed a friendship when stationed together in California before the war, with Armistead famously sending Mrs. Hancock the Armistead family bible for safekeeping as he left to join the Confederate As … [Read more...] about Hancock and Armistead
Bloody Sunday, State Violence and Legitimacy
The German Sociologist Max Weber famously defined the modern state as the “human community that claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory.” (Emphasis added). The violence in Dublin on Sunday November 21, 1920, “Bloody Sunday,” began with the culmination of Michael Collins’ masterful counterintelligence operation – nineteen suspected British intelligence agents were shot by members of Collins’ special unit known as “the Squad,” augmented by members of the Dublin Brigade of the IRA, including future Taoiseach Sean Lemass. The British had dominated Irish … [Read more...] about Bloody Sunday, State Violence and Legitimacy
Notre Dame, Nativism and the “Fighting Irish”
The country is again in the midst of a movement aimed at retiring team names and mascots deemed to be offensive. As with prior such movements, the “Fighting Irish” moniker and leprechaun mascot, with his classic “fisticuffs stance”, have entered the discussion. Those objecting to the nickname are presumably well-intentioned. But is “Fighting Irish” a slur? Or does the term have an origin of which the University, its students, alumni and the countless “subway alumni” can rightfully be proud? Long before Notre Dame was established, the Irish soldier had a reputation for military prowess among … [Read more...] about Notre Dame, Nativism and the “Fighting Irish”