"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." - President Ronald Reagan
"On January 28, 1959, the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) sign Vince Lombardi to a five-year contract as the team's coach and general manager."
Lombardi inherited a 1-10-1 team but he turned the organization around quickly. Green Bay won 3 NFL titles and the first 2 Super Bowls. Without question, the Packers were the most successful team of the 1960's. As a result, the Super Bowl Trophy is named after Coach Lombardi.
P.S. You can listen to my show. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.
We remember General Douglas McArthur, who was born on this day in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1880. He graduated from West Point in 1903 and went on to serve in World War I. In World War II, McArthur was the commander of Allied forces in the Pacific. In 1951, President Truman dismissed him for differences over the Korean War. The general died in 1964.
Jose Marti was born in Cuba on this day in 1853. His parents were Spanish and settled on the island. At the time, Cuba was a Spanish colony and Marti's generation played a major role in the long and very costly Cuban War of Independence. My father's grandfather was part of that generation and stood up to Spain in the second half of the 19th century. My grandmother’s cousin actually fought in that conflict.
Marti was more of an intellectual than a warrior. His poetry and books are read in every university all over the world. In 1966, one of his poems or "versos sencillos" became the lyrics for "Guantanamera" the pop song recorded by The Sandpipers. ("Yo soy un hombre sincero de donde crece la palma" or "I am a truthfull man from the land of palm trees")
Marti was killed in 1895 in a confrontation with Spanish troops. It happened a couple of years before the Maine exploded in Havana's harbor and the U.S. intervened.
From our early days in the U.S., my father had a picture of Jose Marti on the wall of his home office where he'd play chess. It was next to a pre-Castro "peso bill" with Marti's picture framed on the wall. It was nostalgia and a reminder that the pre-Castro peso actually had the same value as a dollar. My father was a banker in Cuba, so he knew a thing or two about the exchange rates.
Marti's picture was a part of our family pictures on the wall. It was there between our First Communion photos, my parents' wedding, the grandparents and other souvenirs from Cuba. My guess is that most Cuban families have a picture of Marti on their walls too.
My parents also had a Marti quote on their wall:
"Nunca son más bellas las playas del destierro que cuando se les dice adiós."
It loosely translates to “The beaches of the exile are never more beautiful that when you wave good-bye to them.” It's a reminder that many Cubans came to the U.S. hoping for a return to a free Cuba. As my mother used to say, the quote took her back to a beautiful and lovely place called Cuba.
So we remember Jose Marti today and all of those conversations that I had with my late father about the man he called "The Apostle of Cuban independence."
In the late 1970's, Grupo Laredo took Jose Marti's verses and released a wonderful album. P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.
'Odio la máscara y vicio Del corredor de mi hotel:
Me vuelvo al manso bullicio De mi monte de laurel.
Con los pobres de la tierra Quiero yo mi suerte echar:
El arroyo de la sierra Me complace más que el mar
Denle al vano el oro tierno Que arde y brilla en el crisol:
A mí denme el bosque eterno Cuando rompe en él el sol.
Yo he visto el oro hecho tierra Barbullendo en la redoma:
Prefiero estar en la sierra Cuando vuela una paloma.
Busca el obispo de España Pilares para su altar;
¡En mi templo, en la montaña, El álamo es el pilar!
Y la alfombra es puro helecho, Y los muros abedul,
Y la luz viene del techo Del techo de cielo azul.
El obispo, por la noche, Sale, despacio, a cantar:
Monta, callado, en su coche, Que es la piña de un pinar.
Las jacas de su carroza Son dos pájaros azules:
Y canta el aire y retoza, Y cantan los abedules.
Duermo en mi cama de roca Mi sueño dulce y profundo:
Roza una abeja mi boca Y crece en mi cuerpo el mundo.
Brillan las grandes molduras Al fuego de la mañana,
Que tiñe las colgaduras De rosa, violeta y grana.
El clarín, solo en el monte, Canta al primer arrebol:
La gasa del horizonte Prende, de un aliento, el sol.
¡Díganle al obispo ciego,
Al viejo obispo de España
Que venga, que venga luego,
