Remember the Alamo

Aunty Jo Jo and Julie at the Alamo, San Antonio - Texas

Ever since reading James Michener's "Texas", I have wanted to visit the Alamo - the site of one of the most heroic stories of the American frontier. For 13 days in 1836, a small band of 200 men defended the fortress against the 6500-strong Mexican army of General Santa Ana. The heroes who fell include legends like David Crockett, Jim Bowie and William Travis. A small number of women and children who were hiding in the church survived to tell the story of their heroism, which rallied the rest of Texas to fight for independence from Mexico.

The men who died defending the Alamo were not even from Texas. They came from all over to help other men who were facing insurmountable odds. As I soaked in the history surrounding the site, I began to have a better appreciation for the principles of freedom and fairness that Americans have always defended. These values have extended from the early frontier days to World War 2 to Vietnam and today's war in Iraq.

Remember the Alamo