This is the sixth post in our National Nursing Home Week series celebrating the Spirit of America.
Most people know that each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces maintains its own march or song, but did you also know that each branch has its own hymn as well? Below are links to the songs and hymns for each branch of our military. Use these as a springboard for a game of trivia.
The Army
1. 30 of the 43 Presidents served in the Army, 24 during time of war, two earned the rank of 5-star General (Washington and Eisenhower) and one earned the Medal of Honor (T. Roosevelt)
2. The U.S. Army was in charge of exploring and mapping America. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was an all Army affair. Army officers were the first Americans to see such landmarks as Pike’s Peak and the Grand Canyon.
The Marines
1. The Marine Corps motto, “Semper Fidelis,” was adopted in 1883 as the official motto. It is Latin for Always Faithful.
2. The English Bulldog, also known as “Teufel-hunden,” or “Devil Dogs,” is the unofficial mascot that symbolize the ethos of the Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines. The U.S. Marine Corps earned this unofficial mascot during World War I, when many German reports called the attacking Marines “teufel-hunden,” meaning Devil-Dogs. “Teufel-hunden” were the vicious, wild and ferocious mountain dogs of German Bavarian folklore.
3. The nickname “Leatherneck” originates from the stiff leather stock that early Marines wore around their necks, probably to protect their jugular vein against saber blows.
Air Force
1. The U.S. Air Force was part of the Army until 1946. It was called the Army Air Corp.
2. The Air Force’s F-117 fighter uses aerodynamics discovered during research into how bumblebees fly.
Navy
1. The Navy’s bell-bottom trousers, are commonly believed to be introduced in 1817 to permit men to roll them above the knee when washing down the decks and to make it easier to remove them in a hurry when forced to abandon ship or when washed overboard. In addition the trousers may be used as a life preserver by knotting the legs and swinging them over your head to fill the legs with air.
2. The trident worn on the uniforms of Navy SEALs is officially designated as the “Special Warfare Insignia,” but it is sometimes called the “Budweiser,” named in part for the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) course, the grueling twenty-five week special warfare school. The trident also has an uncanny resemblance to the Anheuser-Busch logo.
Coast Guard
1. The Coast Guard seizes 169 pounds of marijuana and 306 pounds of cocaine worth $9,589,000.00 everyday.
2. The Coast Guard is smaller than the New York City Police Department.
Hymns of the US Armed Forces
Army
The Marines
Airforce
Navy
Coast Guard
Any celebration about America would not be complete without some red, some white, and some blue. This activity is great for stimulating the brain and conjuring up all the things one can think of that are either, red, white or blue in color.
On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 blasted off, carrying, Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins. Four days later, Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon, the first men to walk on the moon. Celebrate by listening to and singing the following moon songs with your residents:
For our third day of National Nursing Home Week I suggest a challenging game of Jeopardy. Themed around the American pastime of baseball, challenge your residents to identify songs about baseball and baseball teams.
Part two of a seven part series to celebrate National Nursing Home Week, May 14-20, 2017. This year’s theme: Spirit of America. What is more American than apple pie? Use these songs about apples and apple pie in the following activities:
Day One: A Presidential Playlist.
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