September has repeatedly proven a decisive month in the military history of the United States. From the founding generation through the great conflicts of the twentieth century, American service members have faced critical tests in these early-autumn weeks. The events of September reveal enduring qualities of the American character: perseverance under adversity, bold leadership, and the willingness of ordinary citizens to defend the principles of liberty and self-government.
On September 17, 1787, the Constitutional | Convention in Philadelphia signed the Con- | stitution of the United States. Constitution Day is not a battle anniversary, yet it belongs in a veterans’ newsletter. The oath _ we took was to that document. The wars we fought were fought to preserve the republic it created. For members of VFW Post uniform was never an end in itself. It was a means of defending a free government of laws. When we open a meeting with the Pledge, we are not repeating empty words. We are restating the same promise.
The same date, September 17, 1862, saw the Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg, Maryland, the bloodiest single day in American military history. More than 22,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing. The Union Army of the Potomac under Major General George B. McClellan met General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia in the cornfields, along the Bloody Lane, and at Burnside’s Bridge. The tactical result was a draw. The strategic result was not. Lee withdrew to Virginia. President Abraham Lincoln used the moment to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. Antietam did not end the Civil War, but it changed the war’s meaning and preserved the Union’s chance to see it through.
September also marks the First Battle of Saratoga on September 19, 1777, the opening clash of the campaign that would convince France the American cause could win. On September 15, 1950, United Nations forces under General Douglas MacArthur landed at Inchon, reversing the course of the Korean War. On September 26, 1918, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive began, the largest American operation of the First World War. These widely separated campaigns share a common thread: citizen-soldiers answering the call to defend the nation and its founding ideals.
These September chapters remind veterans and their families that the freedoms enjoyed today were secured through the steady courage of earlier generations. Their example continues to guide and inspire the members of VFW Post that history is not a museum piece. It is the long story of people who showed up when it counted.