To All Redlegs....

[GaWildcat]

Modern and reenactor, Active, NG, and Retired, Cannoneers, Rocketeers, Misslleers and stone hurlers...


HAPPY SAINT BARBARA'S DAY!!

On Time, On Target.

[Artillery 1861]

HUZZAH for Barbara.. HUZZAH for the Artillery!!!:grin:

[Ozark Iron John]

Airborne STINGER/VULCAN & HAWK

If it flies, it dies.

Hail St. Barbara!

[3rdUSRedleg]

Happy St. Barbara's Day to all!

[GaWildcat]

Forgot to add... proud redleg.. 4th Batt. 11th Field Artillery Sixth Infantry Division (L) The ON TIME battalion. Hail St Barbara.. ARCTIC LIGHT!

[3rd_PA_Artillery]

Hail St. Barbara!

[sbl]

Is this her?

http://cdn.fotocommunity.com/photos/10924197.jpg

[MajorK]

Hail Saint Barbara, may she continue to protect us all!

[TheQM]

Me,

3/42 FA. SP M-109's 155 mm. First Sergeant and pretty fair number one man, when needed.

[sbl]

Any of you guys actually Catholic?


http://www.folkstory.com/articles/stbabs.html

[3rdUSRedleg]

Any of you guys actually Catholic?

Yeah and?
So?
Whats your point?

[sbl]

Wow you are Catholic! Must be Irish to!

Married to one myself.

[indguard]

Papists surrounding me!

The Templar'sMess

[sbl]

I saw that there is an United States military Order of Saint Barbara. Is the icon of Saint Barbara more of a tradition to unit artillerymen than an actual saint to be venerated ?

[Poor Private]

Married into a catholic family and am Irish, and raised a babtist but the wife don't hold it against me and Hail St. Barbara Do I wear a medal of her yeperino.-- Since I am a member of Morgans atry unit 2nd Kentuck.

[TheQM]

I took the following from the website "Catholic Online":


"St. Barbara
Patron U.S. Army Field Artillery


St. Barbara
Barbara lived in the 4th century and brought up as a heathen. A tyrannical father, Dioscorus, had kept her jealously secluded in a lonely tower which he had built for that purpose. Here, in her forced solitude, she gave herself to prayer and study, and contrived to receive instruction and Baptism in secret by a Christian priest.

Barbara resisted her father's wish that she marry. Then on one occasion, during her father's absence, Barbara had three windows inserted into a bathhouse her father was constructing. Her purpose was thereby to honor the Trinity.

Dioscorus was enraged by her action and by her conversion. So he himself denounced her before the civil tribunal. She was horribly tortured, and at last was beheaded. Her own father, merciless to the last, acted as her executioner. God, however, speedily punished her persecutors. While her soul was being borne by angels to Paradise, a flash of lightning struck Dioscorus, and he was hurried before the judgment seat of God."

[MajorK]

I was born and raised Catholic. I figure that with going to church everyday for 8 years while in school, I've got a credit built up till 2014, then I'll have to start going to church again. LOL!

I always loved the mythology that was painted for patron saints. My mother was told she could have no other children after my older brother was born. After 2 miscarriages and prayers to Saint Gerard (patron of expectant mothers) I was born, followed by 4 other brothers. Thus my middle name is Gerard.

As for Saint Barbara, I noticed on the medallion the tower with 3 windows and the flash of lightning. I was always told by other artillerymen that she was the protector against lightning and artillery. You learn something new everyday.

[sbl]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Barbara

Saint Barbara's day or Eid il-Burbara is celebrated in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine among Arab Christians annually on December 4, in a feast day similar to that of North American Halloween.[16] The traditional food for the occasion is Burbara, a bowl of boiled barley, pomegranate seeds, raisins, anise and sugar offered to masquerading children.[17][18] The general belief among Lebanese Christians is that Saint Barbara disguised herself in numerous characters to elude the Romans who were persecuting her.

In Georgia, (the country not the state) Saint Barbara's Day is celebrated as Barbaroba on December 17 (which is December 3 in the old style calendar).[15] The traditional festive food is lobiani, bread baked with a bean stuffing.

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

I saw that there is an United States military Order of Saint Barbara. Is the icon of Saint Barbara more of a tradition to unit artillerymen than an actual saint to be venerated ?

Yes, definitely more of a tradition than out of reverance, just like St. Michael the patron saint of paratroopers (and law enforcement). Kind of ironic since the early army (War of 1812 through the Mexican War) was quite anti-papist (see the San Patricio's of the MexWar)...

[GaWildcat]

You will notice, that this was addressed to Redlegs.. Artillerymen reenacted and real, past and present. Yes, she is a tradition to us.... handed down from the early days of the Artillery. Why ya gotta go bustin' on peoples parades? We GunBunnies are a proud lot.. and dont suffer meddlin' with our traditions lightly... YEsterday, and in some commands today... St Barbaras day is celebrated by Redlegs of the United States Army, often involving a ball, (known by my former Redleg comrades as the St Barabara's day ball, the Artillery Ball, and The Cannon Ball), where officers and enlisted alike haul out all the traditions of the artillery.. red socks and suspenders, artillery punch, and the mixing ceremony that goes with it, the induction of new members into the Orders of St Barbara and Molly Pitcher, (or you gonna bust on her too?), and enjoying each other's company as Artillerymen and the Artillery family.

[Rob Weaver]

Wasn't St Catherine the one who was broken on the wheel, and that became her symbol? Also, I believe she was one of the voices who spoke to Jeanne d'Arc. I used to be S-2 for 3/14th Field Artillery, although I was still an armor officer at the time. Does that make me a "redleg by marriage?" I'd hate to throw over veneration of St George lighly. :)

[GaWildcat]

By marriage? Naaaaa Id say more like adoption... ;)

Artillery lends dignity to what otherwise would be an unorganized brawl.

The last argument for the Divine right of Kings, KING OF BATTLE

If the Artillery is the King of battle, and The Infantry the Queen of Battle, then the king always puts the ba..... never mind

[sbl]

My WW II era father tried to stump a Vietnam vet friend who was in the artillery by calling him a Red-Leg. He got it.

I've only served on a coehorn mortar at an artillery shoot back in the Bicentennial. One gun was awarded the F-Troop Award for firing their mortar while still at 90 degrees.

I watch artillery respectfully from a distance.

[Ozark Iron John]

Airborne STINGER/VULCAN & HAWK

If it flies, it dies.

Hail St. Barbara!

I've got six good gun broke horses and six nephews who like to ride and shoot. A friend of mine in Palmyra, Missouri has a howitzer with all of the accoutraments. He's actually used the boys as powder monkey and messengers and what not so they could be closer to the gun when it went off.

There's just about nothing I'd rather do than teach them boys and horses to be Flying Artillery. I wish to God I had a little Mountain Howitzer I could pull around limber and unlimber and shoot.

Call me Porter Alexander or Harry Truman. I've got red suspenders and I wear 'em.

[sbl]

Don't mess with Captain Harry S. Truman!

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/photographs/83-128.jpg

[jda3rd]

Once upon a time, I found the original of this on the web, and freely adapted it for a St. Barbaras Day observance back in the mid-90's. So long ago that I can't find the original but I think it was on a Canadian artillery site. Anyway, y'all enjoy:



A story of creation.

In the beginning there was infantry, and there was chaos, for the infantry was alone.

And Fear was with the infantry, and they cried unto the Lord, saying, “Lord, save us, for we are alone and afraid.”

And the Lord harkened to their pleas, and set certain of them upon beasts of burden, donkeys and jackasses and mules, and these he called cavalry.

The infantry and cavalry together cried unto the Lord, saying, “Lord, save us, for we are sore afraid.”

And the Lord thought, and saw that infantry and cavalry are as babes, and the Lord determined to allay their fears.

The Lord spake unto them, saying, “Lo, and behold, I bring unto you a noble race of men, with great strength of head and heart and hand, and with courage and spirit undaunted, and they shall be called Gunners.

And the Gunners shall light the dark of your night and you shall tremble before them.

For when you require shot, they shall bring forth shot, and when ye call for shell, they shall bring forth shell, and when thou has need of canister, canister and double canister shall they bring forth.”

And the Lord gave unto the gunners to be their own great pieces for Field and Siege and Garrison, and Mounted and Horse and Foot and Flying, Howitzer and Gun, and Huge Balls, wondrously wrought.

The infantry and cavalry saw, and as sheep in the fold, knelt before the Gunners and their Pieces, And the Gunners saw, and smiled, and later smoked.

Now abideth in harmony, infantry, and cavalry, and Artillery, and the greatest of these is Artillery.





Frank Brower
Jeff Davis Mounted Artillery
Bangor Alabama

[Shortround]

Any of you guys actually Catholic?


http://www.folkstory.com/articles/stbabs.html

I'm a Lutheran. But we all drink a toast to St. Barbara. It's a field artillery thing. It's usually a real military thing.

The Michigan Army National Guard invited Battery B, 1st Michigan Light Artillery to shoot a cannon during the annual St. Barbara open mess. They were quite impressive and are openly considered as part of the fraternity of redlegs. You have no idea of how positive Battery B was in establishing good rappor with the command staff of the Michigan Army Naional Guard. Those guys were great and really helped the hobby. There is nothing like friends in high places.

Sincerely

Bill Hensler
Lansing, MI

[sbl]

The 5th NHV used to drill in a New Hampshire guard artillery armory in the winter. I noted the unit and branch pride.

[MajorK]

Ozark Iron John,
We've been mule drawn for several years with our mountain howitzer. We are very close to being mounted artillery and working directly with our cavalry brothers. We are also in the process of getting a 4 horse team together for 3" ordinance rifle.

It sounds like you've got a good start on some drivers/mounted artillery. There's noting like the added unpredictability of 1200 lbs. of horse flesh with a few pounds of gunpowder to boost your excitement and commitment.

May Saint Barbara protect you all and keep you safe!