March 15, 2025 • 32 mins
While the nation's big birthday party is coming up next year, in just a matter of weeks, Massachusetts will mark 250 years since the "shot heard 'round the world" - the battles of Lexington and Concord, which sparked the war against the British for American independence. The colonists were ready for the British that day thanks to careful planning and a group of militia members called the "Minute Men". Even today, the Minute Men's spirit is preserved by the Concord Minute Men, led by Captain Carl Sweeney. He talks with Nichole about what it's like to re-enact American history and their plans for this year's Patriots Day celebrations, and shares a bit of history, too.
This segment is the second interview in our new series, "Revolutionary Roots", where we take a closer look at the stories, people, events, and local ties that connect New England to the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary in 2026.
This segment is the second interview in our new series, "Revolutionary Roots", where we take a closer look at the stories, people, events, and local ties that connect New England to the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary in 2026.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
We're each and every week right here. We come together,
we talk about all the topics important to you and
the place where you live. It is great to be
back with you again this week. I'm Nicole Davis. Now,
if you happen to be listening last week, you might
remember that is when we introduced a brand new series
here on the show called Revolutionary Roots. My focus here
(00:31):
for the series as we approach the two hundred and
fiftieth anniversary of the United States is to highlight celebrations
and people and ceremonies and local organizations much more connected
to that birthday. By the way, if you happen to
miss that interview last week, we've got it up on
the podcast. You can find it on your favorite streaming service,
of course, including the iHeartRadio app. But I digress. Now,
(00:53):
the nation's big birthday party is indeed set for next
year here in just a few weeks though, in Massachusetts,
we have got a big weekend. We are marking two
hundred and fifty years since some major events that kicked
off the Revolutionary War. We're talking about Patriots Day, of course,
April nineteenth, the day the shot heard round the world
was fired back in seventeen seventy five, sparking the battles
(01:16):
of Lexington and Conquered that led to all out war
against the British. The colonists that day were ready for
the British thanks to a lot of careful planning and
a group of militia members called the Minutemen. Well, you
might be thinking, we haven't really had a minutemen around
since the colonial era, we haven't needed those in a while,
But my friend, that is not so, as we have
(01:36):
Minutemen keeping history alive in Metro West, right where the
Revolution began. These Minutemen are getting ready to be a
major player in the upcoming Patriots Day celebrations. Let's learn
more about the celebrations about the Minutemen themselves. Carl Sweeney
is here to talk about that, as he is the
captain of the Conquered Minutemen. He is my friend and
a devout historian, very deep ties to Metro West. It
(02:00):
is great to have you on the show. Thank you
so much for being here. I'd like to start with
the fact that you are from Conquered You're a Conquered guy,
and you are getting ready to mark a major moment
in history. Personally, what does that mean to you?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
To represent the town that I was, you know, born
and raised in is just the significance given the fact
of today's today, today's political climate, climate, in the division
between people, it's probably more important than ever that that
we put on a good show and show people that
you know, you stand up and fight for what you
(02:36):
believe in and and and hopefully good things will come
of it, so that you know that being said, I
think we've done a relatively good job over the last
probably three or so years of recruiting people. Our newest
recruit as a gentleman by the name of David Hadley,
who lives in Michigan, but he's a former Concordian, and
(02:58):
he reached out to us about a month ago saying, listen,
you know, I was quite young during the by centennial,
but I really much, I really would prefer to march
with the Minutemen and bring back such an integral part
of this country's history. I would be proud of the
Peacock to do so. And of course we were delighted
(03:19):
to do that. And most folks that have reached out
to us is again much like the day back in
seventy six for the by centennial, where you know, they
became a flash in the pan. They were there for
the theatrics of the day and the crowds, and then
you know, probably weeks later the number dwindled. I mean,
(03:40):
we had a number of two hundred and fifty active
active Minutemen participating in all of the events of the
bi centennial, and probably probably two to three months there
after it would drop down to about one hundred and
just as late as probably nineteen a ninety eight or so,
(04:01):
we barely numbered twenty five people. So we began a
real charge in earnest looking towards twenty twenty five, to
talk about aligning your values with those of the people
from the past, and that this was an opportunity to
enjoy each other's company, continue to learn about history if
(04:24):
you were a little cloudy, and some certain events, to
certainly learn about the town of Corst's history a little
bit more, and just have fun. And you know, with
that we've built our numbers back up to about seventy members,
which today about forty are are fully active. So it's
been a little bit disappointing, and you know, and talking
(04:44):
with other groups throughout town, whether it be the Masons
or the Elks, or the Scouts or whatever, any fraternal
or internal organization. It's just that I think folks today
are just so inundated with with schedules, what be it,
you know, family time, children's activities, whatever, school. Uh, they
(05:09):
just don't seem to have enough time to do the
extra things. And so we really really tried to work
hard to sway people. And again, you know, it wasn't
in vain. Some days it felt like it was. But
I think, you know, we did a good job and
captured people that truly had a love of American history
(05:29):
and certainly were intrigued by what the town had to offer.
And you know, we've then gone out and it helped
to outfit them and trade them on on what it
was like to be a a militiaman in the in
the day. And then of course, you know the minute
meant to follow, which were the ones that were actually
responsible to arrive at a minute's notice. So but we
(05:51):
were all really just milicia And they said, well, you
know what's the difference. Well, it's it's quite simple. The
militia was you know, any able bodied, Uh, man child
sixteen years or older was part of the militia, and
you had to train and you you you maybe got
a few pets for your for your time, and you know,
you used whatever weapon you had at the home, and
(06:11):
you were you were trained by by the captain and
the lieutenant of the of the militia. And then of
course the first Continental Congress, which excuse me, the first
Provincial Congress, which was housed right here and conquered in
the right tavern duly had sworn duly that they would
(06:33):
have minute men and that would be an additional pay
for people that would be available at a minute's notice.
And then they became really the train train the trainers
if you were working with the militia. So you had,
you know, two sets of groups that that were together
and and uh, you know, opposed British British rule. And
of course, the the interesting thing about Concord was it
(06:54):
is full of It was full of many tories, so
unbeknownst to many citizens today, you know, Concord was really
not in allegiance with liberty, justice for all. They were
purely purely under the under British rule for the most part.
So it was it was quite a thing for Adams
and Hancock and the Light to convince the townspeople that, listen,
(07:15):
this is really in your best interest. You know. We yes,
we do get our tea, milk and honey and so
forth from from across the pond. However, you know, we're
able to we're able to self govern, and we have
our own rights and regulations and we'll be fine on
our own. And you know that that was quite as
(07:36):
I said, the struggle, and of course, you know, one
thing led to another, and next thing, you know, it
was here we are at April nineteenth.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Yeah, what does it mean to be a minute man today?
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Uh, it's just it's just pride. It's knowing that you're
representing those that, in all likelihood had the same beliefs
as you, and that you are carrying on the ancestral
fight to represent and to make sure that no one
(08:07):
ever forgets. And uh, it's it gives me chills, particularly
when we do the dawn salute, knowing that I'm leading
as the captain of conquered, leading the group over the
bridge that that Captain Brown and his troops did back
you know, two hundred and fifty years ago. To think
(08:28):
that I was walking in these xt same footsteps over
that bridge and not knowing what I was confronting. It's
just I guess I'm speechless to the point where it's
really not a lot of words that can describe it
other than it's utter joy. It's it's amazement. It's just
and also someone that you know, as I said, loves
(08:49):
loves colonial history. I'm just in awe of the of
the whole process. So it's a it's a close fraternity.
There are several several thousand people you know in New
England that do it. We get together for various encampments.
It's a great fraternity, men, women and children. You know.
We try to get families involved, and it's just it's
(09:12):
just to let people know that history is alive and
we have all of those things that we have today
because of those brave men and women back in the day.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
No, what does it involve, I mean, do you have
to I mean you have your encampments and everything, but
I'm assuming that the costumes are involved. You probably can't
just show up in like jeans and a T shirt
and be like I'm a minute man, Like you really
have to look and get.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Into the part, correct there's two separate distinctions. One is
the full blown bonafide reenactor, where there are standards that
are established by the National Service for authenticity. So it's
things like hemp for your for your canteen straps and
(10:00):
certain everything. All of your colonial outfits must be of
either wool or linen, primarily wool because that was the
main main function back in the day, So buttons as
opposed to snaps on your callers, and certain regulations. When
(10:21):
it comes to the musket, you know, you've got to
be able to be proficient with the seventeen sixty four drill,
the manual of arms that was used back in the day.
So they have their own standards, and then you take
it down a notch to some of the other groups
which follow most of the standards, with the exception of
(10:44):
you know, the clothing. Because to do this activity, I'm
going to guesstimate that it's probably anywhere between fifteen and
twenty five hundred dollars per person to outfit yourself to
properly participate. So that is really a stumbling block when
you're talking about, you know, getting people to buy in.
(11:06):
They're all they're all ready to join the party and
fire the musket and raise heck and the parade and
the reenactments and until we tell them that now we've
got to work with you and outfitting. So you know,
most most of our groups, including our own, we have
a quarter master and so we get a lot of
the stuff from the States. When someone passes away, the
(11:28):
families generally turned the turn the equipment back into us
and we're able to recycle it. We do have a
lot of failures that we work with, and we have
patterns so that we can provide you if you can
get the material based on the the the statutes that
are out there for authenticity, you can actually go out
and have your own clothing made. A lot of folks
(11:48):
do that. You know. We wear straight lasted shoes which
were worn back in the day so that if they
wore out, they could just flip flop them. And you know,
you couldn't just throw a shoe store and buy a
new pair of shoes, so you had to make them
last as long as long as you could. So yeah,
so it's it's roughly, I would roughly say that. So
(12:11):
that's the big thing. But you know, we work with
people and getting their kit authenticated and up up to
snuff and then from there, depending upon what you what
you'd like to do. You you can either be a
militiaman with the musket and learn the drills and fire
the black powder during celebrations or whatnot. Or you know,
(12:33):
if you're talented in any way as a musician, we
can teach you how to play the fife, which is
like really blowing into a coke bottle. We have several
flautists in our group that uh we we recruited so
that that was relatively easy, you know. And if you can,
if you can read music, great, If you can't, again,
we'll teach you how to do that. Same with drumming,
(12:56):
both the snare, the snare and the bass. Uh. And
then something that we encourage people to do if they're
interested but can't really give us a lot of time,
but sometimes that it's our honor Guard, where you can
carry a flag and you're always in the front of
the parade and you know, you can present the colors
at various ceremonies when appropriate. So you know, that's just
(13:20):
primarily the three entities that make up becoming a minute man,
if you will. So it's it's like plenty of time
and it's it's as much time as you want to
spend on it. So some outfits are a little bit
more rigid than others. But for example, we drill about
(13:41):
six to eight times a year. We've basically start in
January to prepare for April. We tell people you must
make a minimum no less than three musket drills to
show proficient proficiency with the weapon. And then before we
sign off on our safety certificate. And then that way,
if anyone has questions, uh, any member of the group
(14:02):
can pull pull out from his haversack his safety card
and show them that it's been signed off by a
safety officer. And then if there are further questions, you know,
they run them up the chain of command and can
we approach the issue as need be. So so yeah,
those are the Those are kind of the three entities
in terms of belonging. And again it's really all about
(14:23):
three letters. F you win. If you want to have fun,
we got I can absolutely guarantee it. You know, we
we go up and down the New England coast and
you know, we don't do it a lot, but we
put things out there. A lot of the longer trips
will hire a bus. You know we are we're a
(14:44):
nonprofit agency, but we do raise money. A lot of
the money we we uh maker from parades and ceremonies.
When towns invite us, they pay us. You know, that
goes into the That goes into the bank, and then
we obviously draw off that as need be for for
other supplies, music, our insurance because you know, God forbid wetly.
To this day, we've never ever had an accident in
(15:06):
the history of the company, so and hopefully we never
will because, like as I said, you know, because our
safety requirements are are followed to the tea. So you know,
we feel good about that. But you know, we have
to pay insurance for obvious reasons and so you know,
it's a little bit, but it's like running a business.
We have a monthly we call it a muster. It's
a business meeting where as the Captain I'll sit down
(15:28):
in an address and then it's the report of the
officers and they'll report out some of the activities that
they've worked on the previous month on up to the
present day, and then we'll talk about upcoming ceremonies and
functions and parades. We'll talk about uniforms and then we'll
do a little bit of recruiting and and it's you know,
(15:50):
no more than an hour. We meet at the School
of Philosophy behind the York House and conquered. They're they're
very good to us. We used to meet at the
Hunt Gym, but with all the cuts in the town
shutting down facilities to save money, we lost our home.
So one of our members is the facilities manager for
the Orchard House, and he went and talked to their
(16:10):
executive board and they said, listen, Richard Horrer was a
witness to the battle and was a minute man and
lived at the Orchid House way before Louise May all caught.
So it's more than appropriate that that we open up
our doors and let you hold your monthly meetings there.
So it was it was really a godsend because we
(16:30):
were struggling to find another home. But you know, those
are those are the challenges that we look look forward to.
The town is extremely supportive getting us involved in a
lot of things. You know. Basically, we've done some film
work with Ken Burns. We have an upcoming PBS special
and Yankee magazine that'll be airing. We filmed that a
(16:50):
year ago March and that'll start airing I think April first,
and run for about six to nine weeks. Repent repeatedly
talking about you know, life in Lexington and conquered and
the battles and what led up to it. That was
a lot of fun. We have a brand new function
coming up April the sixteenth with the United States Postal Service,
(17:12):
will be a first Day issue of the Battlefields of
the American Revolution and the old North Bridge and Miman
National Park is being is being featured. So at eleven
o'clock on the sixteenth, there'll be a big, big first
Day issue ceremony at the Visitors Center in town. So
we're looking forward to that. We'll be will be presenting
(17:32):
the colors and playing some life and drum music and
posting the dignitaries from the federal government. So it should
be should be quite a thing and just you know,
happening just obviously before all the fun of the nineteenth.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Right, Yeah, I mean, let's talk about that. This is
a well oiled colonial machine. I mean, you clearly work
very hard, and obviously you do. You do demonstrations each
and every year. This is kind of the big one
right here, the two fiftieth, So let's start off with
the Bedford pole capping. For people who might be listening saying,
what on earth is a poll capping? Please tell us
(18:06):
about this. It looks like a really actually a pretty
cool event.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
It's a spectacular event. And if you know, if anybody's
around and available on April to twelfth, it's really the
preload to the activities of Patriots Day. But in every
town for the citizens to be notified that there was
a patriotic meeting happening, they had a liberty pole, and
(18:31):
that liberty pole stood in town. And what would happen
was when the British regulars came to town and realized that
each each town or province had a pole, they would
they would chop them down. Well, Bedford used to hang
a red stocking cap at the top of their poll
and that basically was a cap that was worn back
(18:53):
in the old days in Rome by slaves that had
been set free, and in the eighteenth century it also
symbolized those that refused to be enslaved by British rules.
So anytime you saw the liberty pole with the red cap,
you knew that there was a meeting going on and
it was going to probably lead to something. So uh yeah.
(19:14):
So the destination is Wilson Park in Bedford, at the
intersection of North Great Roads. And as the pole was
raised during the day, there's you know, there are dignitaries
being introduced in patriotic speeches being delivered and talking about
the impact of town government and how we were able
to become self sufficient and inevitably separate from British rule.
(19:38):
And as all that's going on, His Majesty's troops come
marching up the road and challenge us and attempt to
take down the pole. And with that Bedford minuted person
and I say minute person because it could either be
male or female. Uh, shimmy's up. The shimmy's up the
pole and uh gets away from the British and they hope.
(20:02):
The crowd then shouts hurrah, and at that time they
realize that we have the power to defy the hated
British lobster back. So it's it's really a lot of fun.
Paul Shaughnessy X as the governor and he does just
a splendid job full of corny English jokes but really
(20:26):
entertains the entertains the crowd, mixes in, gets them involved
and it's just a great it's just a great time,
and it's just all about you know, who we are
here in New England.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
And then of course Marriam's Corner. If you've been in
the Metro West, if you know Lexington and Conquered, you
know that Merriam's Corner is a peak location when it
comes to colonial history. And what do you have planned
for the two fiftieth for Merriam's Corner specifically.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Well, Mariam's Corner is again much like what happens at
the Pole Capping. There'll be some speeches and dignitaries President,
and we'll basically just talk about the events of that
particular day where you know, at noontime in seventeen seventy five,
there was a column of about seven hundred British regulars that,
(21:12):
after fleeing the bridge being chased back to Boston, the militia,
the colonial militia, then fired upon from Rock and Wall
or whatever all the way back and really gave it
a grievous embarrassment to the King and his troops, killing
and wounding several British soldiers. And so it's pretty much
(21:35):
just kind of a reactionarything. It's a representation of what
happened will fire. We'll do musket fire. And then there's
a small parade that precedes that that starts up on
Merriam's Road at the school administration building and makes its
way down. It's about a mile mile and a quarter parade,
and then several colonial groups will present songs, the Piscataway
(22:01):
River Rangers I believe in Portsmouth, the Hampshire Play, Middlesex
County Volunteers will play a few selections to Conquered Commediment.
Fife at Drum Corp will play a few selections. And
then there was also some reenactors that portray various soldiers
that talk about what they experienced that particular day, and
(22:21):
it's really moving to hear their portrayal of an individual
during that day, and it's just again, it's just a
great way both both a fun day but a solemn
day to think about really what had occurred and what
led up to this thing called liberty that we so
enjoyed today.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Yeah, for sure. And then the Pista Resistance. I suppose
you could say April nineteenth the day where it all
goes down. Obviously, each April nineteenth you do a pre dawn.
I guess you could say it starts pre dawn, but
really a very early morning re enactment. Tell us what
you are going to be doing year.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
Well, this year is obviously going to be a little
bit different than the year's past, because usually we have
we reenacted the actual bridge conflict, but because of the
size of the crowds and the potential for for various
dignitaries to grace the grounds, we won't. We won't be
doing the conflict as such, but we will be doing
(23:22):
the the We will be doing the dawn salute. And
so what happens is we will begin we'll begin to
prepare for that at four am in the morning, much
like much lighter, much like they did back in the day.
Of course, they were up all all evening waiting for
DAWs and Revere to say what was happening. We will
(23:42):
then march to the bridge. We will hopefully fire a
ceremonial volley. The Conquered Independent Battery with the brass cannons
from the day will also be firing, and we will
lay wreaths at the minute Man statue at the base
of the Miniment statue, and we will also pause to
recognize those British regulars that lost their lives during the
(24:04):
skirmish at the bridge. It's a very moving, moving ceremony
that you know. It lasts probably about an hour, hour
and fifteen minutes or so. We'll do a twenty one
gun salute as well, and then from there we come back,
take a quick respite and then of course all the
(24:25):
fun begins with the Concork parade starting at.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Eight thirty and that starts on Throw Street, right.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
That is correct. It's a much larger parade route this
year than in years past, obviously because of the importance
of the of the day and the two fiftieth you know,
estimates we're hearing any anywhere from one hundred to two
hundred thousand people. Wow, So it's really you know, I know,
all of the hotels in the area sold out very early,
(24:52):
so there's a lot of a lot of historians that
are coming and making their way to Lexington and Conquered
to celebrate with us. We're very excit for that. It'll
be roughly I think about forty seven marching units in
the parade, and the big anchor this year we're really
excited will be the U mass Man have been marching band.
(25:13):
So that's you know, one of the top collegiate marching
bands in the country. So we were very fortunate to
be able to sign them on thanks to thanks to
a very generous sponsor this year. So there'll be lots
to do. The parade makes its way, you know, into
the center of town and then up Blow Road. Well
we'll cross Liberty Street to the bridge, another another pause
(25:37):
for another quick ceremony, and then back down Monument Street,
through the town Hall, through the center to the Colonial
in where the reviewing stand will be. Each group will
pause and recognize the digna carries with either a musket
salute or a right tune fife and from tune, and
then it will finish up march past the right tavern
(25:58):
and end up near down near said and Road by
the Coffee Museum. So much a very large parade route.
Of course, you know, with with with that large a
parade and that that many people coming to the area,
I'd encourage people to go online, uh and and check.
There will be several road closures. They are encouraging people
(26:20):
to use the t Yeah, but both uh, you know,
because you know, what we've been told in our meetings
is that the town of Concord basically will go into
into lockdown starting at midnight on the eighteenth, so no
one in, no one out at that particular point to
prepare for for all the day's activities.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Oh my gosh, I was going to say route too
is going to be a mess that day, for it's
already a mess most days, but that is definitely not
going to help. But again, it's all worth it. You've
got a commuter rail stop, you've got plenty of other
ways to get into town, and it's going to be
a wonderful event. And I know you've been planning for
a long time for this, so I can't imagine just
how excited everybody is in Lexington and Conquered to finally
(27:01):
see this play out.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
Yes, I just you know, it's that the day doesn't
go by, that my phone doesn't ping, or I get
an email message from from people really you know, across
the country that's either gone to our website or a Facebook,
you know, a social media accounts, Instagram, whatnot, and uh,
you know reached out to us wanting to know exactly
(27:22):
what was going to go on, what was going to happen,
and you know, you know, and when the parade is over.
That that's not the end of it either. I'd be
remiss if I didn't I didn't mention that there were
several other days activities going on throughout the town and
there's there's a huge block party going on. I mentioned
Right Tavern earlier. They're they're actually opening it's never been
(27:45):
opened for I forget how many years now, but they've
actually they're actually reopened that they've done the thing over
in its entirety, the exposed some of the original beams
within the building that they've got liquor license, still be
selling food and having a beer garden and giving guided
tours throughout the day through Right Cavern. The Orchard House
(28:10):
is having a colonial children's thing where they're doing fun
and games reminiscent of what occurred back in the eighteenth
century for folks. The Concord Museum is open free of
charge to the public. There'll be a little bit of
a military encampment there. We'll be participating in that, and
then later on in the evening it all wraps up
(28:31):
with a laser light drone show at around eight point
fifteen right over the center of town. So it's just
going to be a spectacular day. And you know, if
people if they can make it into town and they
have any kind of love of history at all, it's
really no mis situation.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
If only Paul Revere had drones, life would be very different.
I feel, oh my goodness, this is going to be
so much fun. Okay, So if people want to find
out more, okay, first about the Minutemen. If they are
hearing this and they say, I had no idea this
was a thing. I want to get involved, how can
they get involved and join the Minutemen.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
They can go to our website. It's it's concord Minutemen
dot org. And on there there is a page that
talks about how I joined Harbylong. They just go to that,
take a look, read it, and then further on there
there's other places to other folks to call or to
(29:31):
ask questions of and we'll get right back to you
and let you know because we'd love to have you.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
And how can people find out more about the events
going on in Lexington and Conquered, both at the national
parks or just in town, so on and so forth.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
I would encourage folks to go online look at the
Minuteman National Park MNP dot org. The federal website, it's
the Lexington two fifty website as well as the Conquered
two fifty. So each each town has their own organization
that was responsible to coordinate with the federal government and
(30:09):
again on on their websites. You know, we'll give you
all the information as to when we're how and why,
and very informative and very helpful.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Wow, this is really exciting. Captain Carl Sweeney, my friend.
So good to have you on the show. Thank you
for all the information. I hope that April nineteenth and
all the other re enactments play out just as you
need them to.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Well. Thank you, Nicole, it's been an honor and a
pleasure to speak with you. And for all of your
listeners out there, I give you one big cheer. I
hope I see you from the Concord minute Man Hazza Huzza.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Now, after Carl and I spoke, he actually reached out
to me and mentioned that he had been inspired by
our conversation and so he decided to write a poem
talking about what it's like to be a minute man,
talking about the pride he feels to serve with this group,
especially approaching Patriots Day. He wanted me to share it
with you, and let's listen.
Speaker 3 (31:02):
In this poem is called looking for a few good Men.
This hobby will amaze you. We'll never be bored. From
the green and Lexington to the bridge and concord, you'll
stand in wool, your musket primed, a soldier lost in
ancient time. The drumbeat calls, the fife's ring clear. Echoes
of war still whisper. Here, With tri consett and powder dry,
(31:27):
we march where once the brave did die. Their voices
linger in the air, a silent charge, a solemn prayer.
By candles glow and taverns keep. We share the tails.
The past still speaks. With tankards raised in a laughter bright,
we bring the ghosts back into light. Yet more than battles,
(31:49):
shot and blade, we live. The lives are forebearers made,
the farmer toil and the blacksmith's fire, the mother's hope,
the child's desire to wear their cloth, to speak their tongue,
to walk the roads from which they sprung. Is not
mere play, nor est nor game, but honor, bound by
(32:10):
history's name. So in the morning mist we stand a
living link, a leathered hand, not actors. Here but those
who vow to keep the past alive somehow. Happy Patriots
Day everyone.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
Okay, have a safe and healthy weekend. Please join me
again next week for another edition of the show. I'm
Nicole Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
We're each and every week right here. We come together,
we talk about all the topics important to you and
the place where you live. It is great to be
back with you again this week. I'm Nicole Davis. Now,
if you happen to be listening last week, you might
remember that is when we introduced a brand new series
here on the show called Revolutionary Roots. My focus here
(00:31):
for the series as we approach the two hundred and
fiftieth anniversary of the United States is to highlight celebrations
and people and ceremonies and local organizations much more connected
to that birthday. By the way, if you happen to
miss that interview last week, we've got it up on
the podcast. You can find it on your favorite streaming service,
of course, including the iHeartRadio app. But I digress. Now,
(00:53):
the nation's big birthday party is indeed set for next
year here in just a few weeks though, in Massachusetts,
we have got a big weekend. We are marking two
hundred and fifty years since some major events that kicked
off the Revolutionary War. We're talking about Patriots Day, of course,
April nineteenth, the day the shot heard round the world
was fired back in seventeen seventy five, sparking the battles
(01:16):
of Lexington and Conquered that led to all out war
against the British. The colonists that day were ready for
the British thanks to a lot of careful planning and
a group of militia members called the Minutemen. Well, you
might be thinking, we haven't really had a minutemen around
since the colonial era, we haven't needed those in a while,
But my friend, that is not so, as we have
(01:36):
Minutemen keeping history alive in Metro West, right where the
Revolution began. These Minutemen are getting ready to be a
major player in the upcoming Patriots Day celebrations. Let's learn
more about the celebrations about the Minutemen themselves. Carl Sweeney
is here to talk about that, as he is the
captain of the Conquered Minutemen. He is my friend and
a devout historian, very deep ties to Metro West. It
(02:00):
is great to have you on the show. Thank you
so much for being here. I'd like to start with
the fact that you are from Conquered You're a Conquered guy,
and you are getting ready to mark a major moment
in history. Personally, what does that mean to you?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
To represent the town that I was, you know, born
and raised in is just the significance given the fact
of today's today, today's political climate, climate, in the division
between people, it's probably more important than ever that that
we put on a good show and show people that
you know, you stand up and fight for what you
(02:36):
believe in and and and hopefully good things will come
of it, so that you know that being said, I
think we've done a relatively good job over the last
probably three or so years of recruiting people. Our newest
recruit as a gentleman by the name of David Hadley,
who lives in Michigan, but he's a former Concordian, and
(02:58):
he reached out to us about a month ago saying, listen,
you know, I was quite young during the by centennial,
but I really much, I really would prefer to march
with the Minutemen and bring back such an integral part
of this country's history. I would be proud of the
Peacock to do so. And of course we were delighted
(03:19):
to do that. And most folks that have reached out
to us is again much like the day back in
seventy six for the by centennial, where you know, they
became a flash in the pan. They were there for
the theatrics of the day and the crowds, and then
you know, probably weeks later the number dwindled. I mean,
(03:40):
we had a number of two hundred and fifty active
active Minutemen participating in all of the events of the
bi centennial, and probably probably two to three months there
after it would drop down to about one hundred and
just as late as probably nineteen a ninety eight or so,
(04:01):
we barely numbered twenty five people. So we began a
real charge in earnest looking towards twenty twenty five, to
talk about aligning your values with those of the people
from the past, and that this was an opportunity to
enjoy each other's company, continue to learn about history if
(04:24):
you were a little cloudy, and some certain events, to
certainly learn about the town of Corst's history a little
bit more, and just have fun. And you know, with
that we've built our numbers back up to about seventy members,
which today about forty are are fully active. So it's
been a little bit disappointing, and you know, and talking
(04:44):
with other groups throughout town, whether it be the Masons
or the Elks, or the Scouts or whatever, any fraternal
or internal organization. It's just that I think folks today
are just so inundated with with schedules, what be it,
you know, family time, children's activities, whatever, school. Uh, they
(05:09):
just don't seem to have enough time to do the
extra things. And so we really really tried to work
hard to sway people. And again, you know, it wasn't
in vain. Some days it felt like it was. But
I think, you know, we did a good job and
captured people that truly had a love of American history
(05:29):
and certainly were intrigued by what the town had to offer.
And you know, we've then gone out and it helped
to outfit them and trade them on on what it
was like to be a a militiaman in the in
the day. And then of course, you know the minute
meant to follow, which were the ones that were actually
responsible to arrive at a minute's notice. So but we
(05:51):
were all really just milicia And they said, well, you
know what's the difference. Well, it's it's quite simple. The
militia was you know, any able bodied, Uh, man child
sixteen years or older was part of the militia, and
you had to train and you you you maybe got
a few pets for your for your time, and you know,
you used whatever weapon you had at the home, and
(06:11):
you were you were trained by by the captain and
the lieutenant of the of the militia. And then of
course the first Continental Congress, which excuse me, the first
Provincial Congress, which was housed right here and conquered in
the right tavern duly had sworn duly that they would
(06:33):
have minute men and that would be an additional pay
for people that would be available at a minute's notice.
And then they became really the train train the trainers
if you were working with the militia. So you had,
you know, two sets of groups that that were together
and and uh, you know, opposed British British rule. And
of course, the the interesting thing about Concord was it
(06:54):
is full of It was full of many tories, so
unbeknownst to many citizens today, you know, Concord was really
not in allegiance with liberty, justice for all. They were
purely purely under the under British rule for the most part.
So it was it was quite a thing for Adams
and Hancock and the Light to convince the townspeople that, listen,
(07:15):
this is really in your best interest. You know. We yes,
we do get our tea, milk and honey and so
forth from from across the pond. However, you know, we're
able to we're able to self govern, and we have
our own rights and regulations and we'll be fine on
our own. And you know that that was quite as
(07:36):
I said, the struggle, and of course, you know, one
thing led to another, and next thing, you know, it
was here we are at April nineteenth.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Yeah, what does it mean to be a minute man today?
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Uh, it's just it's just pride. It's knowing that you're
representing those that, in all likelihood had the same beliefs
as you, and that you are carrying on the ancestral
fight to represent and to make sure that no one
(08:07):
ever forgets. And uh, it's it gives me chills, particularly
when we do the dawn salute, knowing that I'm leading
as the captain of conquered, leading the group over the
bridge that that Captain Brown and his troops did back
you know, two hundred and fifty years ago. To think
(08:28):
that I was walking in these xt same footsteps over
that bridge and not knowing what I was confronting. It's
just I guess I'm speechless to the point where it's
really not a lot of words that can describe it
other than it's utter joy. It's it's amazement. It's just
and also someone that you know, as I said, loves
(08:49):
loves colonial history. I'm just in awe of the of
the whole process. So it's a it's a close fraternity.
There are several several thousand people you know in New
England that do it. We get together for various encampments.
It's a great fraternity, men, women and children. You know.
We try to get families involved, and it's just it's
(09:12):
just to let people know that history is alive and
we have all of those things that we have today
because of those brave men and women back in the day.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
No, what does it involve, I mean, do you have
to I mean you have your encampments and everything, but
I'm assuming that the costumes are involved. You probably can't
just show up in like jeans and a T shirt
and be like I'm a minute man, Like you really
have to look and get.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Into the part, correct there's two separate distinctions. One is
the full blown bonafide reenactor, where there are standards that
are established by the National Service for authenticity. So it's
things like hemp for your for your canteen straps and
(10:00):
certain everything. All of your colonial outfits must be of
either wool or linen, primarily wool because that was the
main main function back in the day, So buttons as
opposed to snaps on your callers, and certain regulations. When
(10:21):
it comes to the musket, you know, you've got to
be able to be proficient with the seventeen sixty four drill,
the manual of arms that was used back in the day.
So they have their own standards, and then you take
it down a notch to some of the other groups
which follow most of the standards, with the exception of
(10:44):
you know, the clothing. Because to do this activity, I'm
going to guesstimate that it's probably anywhere between fifteen and
twenty five hundred dollars per person to outfit yourself to
properly participate. So that is really a stumbling block when
you're talking about, you know, getting people to buy in.
(11:06):
They're all they're all ready to join the party and
fire the musket and raise heck and the parade and
the reenactments and until we tell them that now we've
got to work with you and outfitting. So you know,
most most of our groups, including our own, we have
a quarter master and so we get a lot of
the stuff from the States. When someone passes away, the
(11:28):
families generally turned the turn the equipment back into us
and we're able to recycle it. We do have a
lot of failures that we work with, and we have
patterns so that we can provide you if you can
get the material based on the the the statutes that
are out there for authenticity, you can actually go out
and have your own clothing made. A lot of folks
(11:48):
do that. You know. We wear straight lasted shoes which
were worn back in the day so that if they
wore out, they could just flip flop them. And you know,
you couldn't just throw a shoe store and buy a
new pair of shoes, so you had to make them
last as long as long as you could. So yeah,
so it's it's roughly, I would roughly say that. So
(12:11):
that's the big thing. But you know, we work with
people and getting their kit authenticated and up up to
snuff and then from there, depending upon what you what
you'd like to do. You you can either be a
militiaman with the musket and learn the drills and fire
the black powder during celebrations or whatnot. Or you know,
(12:33):
if you're talented in any way as a musician, we
can teach you how to play the fife, which is
like really blowing into a coke bottle. We have several
flautists in our group that uh we we recruited so
that that was relatively easy, you know. And if you can,
if you can read music, great, If you can't, again,
we'll teach you how to do that. Same with drumming,
(12:56):
both the snare, the snare and the bass. Uh. And
then something that we encourage people to do if they're
interested but can't really give us a lot of time,
but sometimes that it's our honor Guard, where you can
carry a flag and you're always in the front of
the parade and you know, you can present the colors
at various ceremonies when appropriate. So you know, that's just
(13:20):
primarily the three entities that make up becoming a minute man,
if you will. So it's it's like plenty of time
and it's it's as much time as you want to
spend on it. So some outfits are a little bit
more rigid than others. But for example, we drill about
(13:41):
six to eight times a year. We've basically start in
January to prepare for April. We tell people you must
make a minimum no less than three musket drills to
show proficient proficiency with the weapon. And then before we
sign off on our safety certificate. And then that way,
if anyone has questions, uh, any member of the group
(14:02):
can pull pull out from his haversack his safety card
and show them that it's been signed off by a
safety officer. And then if there are further questions, you know,
they run them up the chain of command and can
we approach the issue as need be. So so yeah,
those are the Those are kind of the three entities
in terms of belonging. And again it's really all about
(14:23):
three letters. F you win. If you want to have fun,
we got I can absolutely guarantee it. You know, we
we go up and down the New England coast and
you know, we don't do it a lot, but we
put things out there. A lot of the longer trips
will hire a bus. You know we are we're a
(14:44):
nonprofit agency, but we do raise money. A lot of
the money we we uh maker from parades and ceremonies.
When towns invite us, they pay us. You know, that
goes into the That goes into the bank, and then
we obviously draw off that as need be for for
other supplies, music, our insurance because you know, God forbid wetly.
To this day, we've never ever had an accident in
(15:06):
the history of the company, so and hopefully we never
will because, like as I said, you know, because our
safety requirements are are followed to the tea. So you know,
we feel good about that. But you know, we have
to pay insurance for obvious reasons and so you know,
it's a little bit, but it's like running a business.
We have a monthly we call it a muster. It's
a business meeting where as the Captain I'll sit down
(15:28):
in an address and then it's the report of the
officers and they'll report out some of the activities that
they've worked on the previous month on up to the
present day, and then we'll talk about upcoming ceremonies and
functions and parades. We'll talk about uniforms and then we'll
do a little bit of recruiting and and it's you know,
(15:50):
no more than an hour. We meet at the School
of Philosophy behind the York House and conquered. They're they're
very good to us. We used to meet at the
Hunt Gym, but with all the cuts in the town
shutting down facilities to save money, we lost our home.
So one of our members is the facilities manager for
the Orchard House, and he went and talked to their
(16:10):
executive board and they said, listen, Richard Horrer was a
witness to the battle and was a minute man and
lived at the Orchid House way before Louise May all caught.
So it's more than appropriate that that we open up
our doors and let you hold your monthly meetings there.
So it was it was really a godsend because we
(16:30):
were struggling to find another home. But you know, those
are those are the challenges that we look look forward to.
The town is extremely supportive getting us involved in a
lot of things. You know. Basically, we've done some film
work with Ken Burns. We have an upcoming PBS special
and Yankee magazine that'll be airing. We filmed that a
(16:50):
year ago March and that'll start airing I think April first,
and run for about six to nine weeks. Repent repeatedly
talking about you know, life in Lexington and conquered and
the battles and what led up to it. That was
a lot of fun. We have a brand new function
coming up April the sixteenth with the United States Postal Service,
(17:12):
will be a first Day issue of the Battlefields of
the American Revolution and the old North Bridge and Miman
National Park is being is being featured. So at eleven
o'clock on the sixteenth, there'll be a big, big first
Day issue ceremony at the Visitors Center in town. So
we're looking forward to that. We'll be will be presenting
(17:32):
the colors and playing some life and drum music and
posting the dignitaries from the federal government. So it should
be should be quite a thing and just you know,
happening just obviously before all the fun of the nineteenth.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Right, Yeah, I mean, let's talk about that. This is
a well oiled colonial machine. I mean, you clearly work
very hard, and obviously you do. You do demonstrations each
and every year. This is kind of the big one
right here, the two fiftieth, So let's start off with
the Bedford pole capping. For people who might be listening saying,
what on earth is a poll capping? Please tell us
(18:06):
about this. It looks like a really actually a pretty
cool event.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
It's a spectacular event. And if you know, if anybody's
around and available on April to twelfth, it's really the
preload to the activities of Patriots Day. But in every
town for the citizens to be notified that there was
a patriotic meeting happening, they had a liberty pole, and
(18:31):
that liberty pole stood in town. And what would happen
was when the British regulars came to town and realized that
each each town or province had a pole, they would
they would chop them down. Well, Bedford used to hang
a red stocking cap at the top of their poll
and that basically was a cap that was worn back
(18:53):
in the old days in Rome by slaves that had
been set free, and in the eighteenth century it also
symbolized those that refused to be enslaved by British rules.
So anytime you saw the liberty pole with the red cap,
you knew that there was a meeting going on and
it was going to probably lead to something. So uh yeah.
(19:14):
So the destination is Wilson Park in Bedford, at the
intersection of North Great Roads. And as the pole was
raised during the day, there's you know, there are dignitaries
being introduced in patriotic speeches being delivered and talking about
the impact of town government and how we were able
to become self sufficient and inevitably separate from British rule.
(19:38):
And as all that's going on, His Majesty's troops come
marching up the road and challenge us and attempt to
take down the pole. And with that Bedford minuted person
and I say minute person because it could either be
male or female. Uh, shimmy's up. The shimmy's up the
pole and uh gets away from the British and they hope.
(20:02):
The crowd then shouts hurrah, and at that time they
realize that we have the power to defy the hated
British lobster back. So it's it's really a lot of fun.
Paul Shaughnessy X as the governor and he does just
a splendid job full of corny English jokes but really
(20:26):
entertains the entertains the crowd, mixes in, gets them involved
and it's just a great it's just a great time,
and it's just all about you know, who we are
here in New England.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
And then of course Marriam's Corner. If you've been in
the Metro West, if you know Lexington and Conquered, you
know that Merriam's Corner is a peak location when it
comes to colonial history. And what do you have planned
for the two fiftieth for Merriam's Corner specifically.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Well, Mariam's Corner is again much like what happens at
the Pole Capping. There'll be some speeches and dignitaries President,
and we'll basically just talk about the events of that
particular day where you know, at noontime in seventeen seventy five,
there was a column of about seven hundred British regulars that,
(21:12):
after fleeing the bridge being chased back to Boston, the militia,
the colonial militia, then fired upon from Rock and Wall
or whatever all the way back and really gave it
a grievous embarrassment to the King and his troops, killing
and wounding several British soldiers. And so it's pretty much
(21:35):
just kind of a reactionarything. It's a representation of what
happened will fire. We'll do musket fire. And then there's
a small parade that precedes that that starts up on
Merriam's Road at the school administration building and makes its
way down. It's about a mile mile and a quarter parade,
and then several colonial groups will present songs, the Piscataway
(22:01):
River Rangers I believe in Portsmouth, the Hampshire Play, Middlesex
County Volunteers will play a few selections to Conquered Commediment.
Fife at Drum Corp will play a few selections. And
then there was also some reenactors that portray various soldiers
that talk about what they experienced that particular day, and
(22:21):
it's really moving to hear their portrayal of an individual
during that day, and it's just again, it's just a
great way both both a fun day but a solemn
day to think about really what had occurred and what
led up to this thing called liberty that we so
enjoyed today.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Yeah, for sure. And then the Pista Resistance. I suppose
you could say April nineteenth the day where it all
goes down. Obviously, each April nineteenth you do a pre dawn.
I guess you could say it starts pre dawn, but
really a very early morning re enactment. Tell us what
you are going to be doing year.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
Well, this year is obviously going to be a little
bit different than the year's past, because usually we have
we reenacted the actual bridge conflict, but because of the
size of the crowds and the potential for for various
dignitaries to grace the grounds, we won't. We won't be
doing the conflict as such, but we will be doing
(23:22):
the the We will be doing the dawn salute. And
so what happens is we will begin we'll begin to
prepare for that at four am in the morning, much
like much lighter, much like they did back in the day.
Of course, they were up all all evening waiting for
DAWs and Revere to say what was happening. We will
(23:42):
then march to the bridge. We will hopefully fire a
ceremonial volley. The Conquered Independent Battery with the brass cannons
from the day will also be firing, and we will
lay wreaths at the minute Man statue at the base
of the Miniment statue, and we will also pause to
recognize those British regulars that lost their lives during the
(24:04):
skirmish at the bridge. It's a very moving, moving ceremony
that you know. It lasts probably about an hour, hour
and fifteen minutes or so. We'll do a twenty one
gun salute as well, and then from there we come back,
take a quick respite and then of course all the
(24:25):
fun begins with the Concork parade starting at.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Eight thirty and that starts on Throw Street, right.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
That is correct. It's a much larger parade route this
year than in years past, obviously because of the importance
of the of the day and the two fiftieth you know,
estimates we're hearing any anywhere from one hundred to two
hundred thousand people. Wow, So it's really you know, I know,
all of the hotels in the area sold out very early,
(24:52):
so there's a lot of a lot of historians that
are coming and making their way to Lexington and Conquered
to celebrate with us. We're very excit for that. It'll
be roughly I think about forty seven marching units in
the parade, and the big anchor this year we're really
excited will be the U mass Man have been marching band.
(25:13):
So that's you know, one of the top collegiate marching
bands in the country. So we were very fortunate to
be able to sign them on thanks to thanks to
a very generous sponsor this year. So there'll be lots
to do. The parade makes its way, you know, into
the center of town and then up Blow Road. Well
we'll cross Liberty Street to the bridge, another another pause
(25:37):
for another quick ceremony, and then back down Monument Street,
through the town Hall, through the center to the Colonial
in where the reviewing stand will be. Each group will
pause and recognize the digna carries with either a musket
salute or a right tune fife and from tune, and
then it will finish up march past the right tavern
(25:58):
and end up near down near said and Road by
the Coffee Museum. So much a very large parade route.
Of course, you know, with with with that large a
parade and that that many people coming to the area,
I'd encourage people to go online, uh and and check.
There will be several road closures. They are encouraging people
(26:20):
to use the t Yeah, but both uh, you know,
because you know, what we've been told in our meetings
is that the town of Concord basically will go into
into lockdown starting at midnight on the eighteenth, so no
one in, no one out at that particular point to
prepare for for all the day's activities.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Oh my gosh, I was going to say route too
is going to be a mess that day, for it's
already a mess most days, but that is definitely not
going to help. But again, it's all worth it. You've
got a commuter rail stop, you've got plenty of other
ways to get into town, and it's going to be
a wonderful event. And I know you've been planning for
a long time for this, so I can't imagine just
how excited everybody is in Lexington and Conquered to finally
(27:01):
see this play out.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
Yes, I just you know, it's that the day doesn't
go by, that my phone doesn't ping, or I get
an email message from from people really you know, across
the country that's either gone to our website or a Facebook,
you know, a social media accounts, Instagram, whatnot, and uh,
you know reached out to us wanting to know exactly
(27:22):
what was going to go on, what was going to happen,
and you know, you know, and when the parade is over.
That that's not the end of it either. I'd be
remiss if I didn't I didn't mention that there were
several other days activities going on throughout the town and
there's there's a huge block party going on. I mentioned
Right Tavern earlier. They're they're actually opening it's never been
(27:45):
opened for I forget how many years now, but they've
actually they're actually reopened that they've done the thing over
in its entirety, the exposed some of the original beams
within the building that they've got liquor license, still be
selling food and having a beer garden and giving guided
tours throughout the day through Right Cavern. The Orchard House
(28:10):
is having a colonial children's thing where they're doing fun
and games reminiscent of what occurred back in the eighteenth
century for folks. The Concord Museum is open free of
charge to the public. There'll be a little bit of
a military encampment there. We'll be participating in that, and
then later on in the evening it all wraps up
(28:31):
with a laser light drone show at around eight point
fifteen right over the center of town. So it's just
going to be a spectacular day. And you know, if
people if they can make it into town and they
have any kind of love of history at all, it's
really no mis situation.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
If only Paul Revere had drones, life would be very different.
I feel, oh my goodness, this is going to be
so much fun. Okay, So if people want to find
out more, okay, first about the Minutemen. If they are
hearing this and they say, I had no idea this
was a thing. I want to get involved, how can
they get involved and join the Minutemen.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
They can go to our website. It's it's concord Minutemen
dot org. And on there there is a page that
talks about how I joined Harbylong. They just go to that,
take a look, read it, and then further on there
there's other places to other folks to call or to
(29:31):
ask questions of and we'll get right back to you
and let you know because we'd love to have you.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
And how can people find out more about the events
going on in Lexington and Conquered, both at the national
parks or just in town, so on and so forth.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
I would encourage folks to go online look at the
Minuteman National Park MNP dot org. The federal website, it's
the Lexington two fifty website as well as the Conquered
two fifty. So each each town has their own organization
that was responsible to coordinate with the federal government and
(30:09):
again on on their websites. You know, we'll give you
all the information as to when we're how and why,
and very informative and very helpful.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Wow, this is really exciting. Captain Carl Sweeney, my friend.
So good to have you on the show. Thank you
for all the information. I hope that April nineteenth and
all the other re enactments play out just as you
need them to.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Well. Thank you, Nicole, it's been an honor and a
pleasure to speak with you. And for all of your
listeners out there, I give you one big cheer. I
hope I see you from the Concord minute Man Hazza Huzza.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Now, after Carl and I spoke, he actually reached out
to me and mentioned that he had been inspired by
our conversation and so he decided to write a poem
talking about what it's like to be a minute man,
talking about the pride he feels to serve with this group,
especially approaching Patriots Day. He wanted me to share it
with you, and let's listen.
Speaker 3 (31:02):
In this poem is called looking for a few good Men.
This hobby will amaze you. We'll never be bored. From
the green and Lexington to the bridge and concord, you'll
stand in wool, your musket primed, a soldier lost in
ancient time. The drumbeat calls, the fife's ring clear. Echoes
of war still whisper. Here, With tri consett and powder dry,
(31:27):
we march where once the brave did die. Their voices
linger in the air, a silent charge, a solemn prayer.
By candles glow and taverns keep. We share the tails.
The past still speaks. With tankards raised in a laughter bright,
we bring the ghosts back into light. Yet more than battles,
(31:49):
shot and blade, we live. The lives are forebearers made,
the farmer toil and the blacksmith's fire, the mother's hope,
the child's desire to wear their cloth, to speak their tongue,
to walk the roads from which they sprung. Is not
mere play, nor est nor game, but honor, bound by
(32:10):
history's name. So in the morning mist we stand a
living link, a leathered hand, not actors. Here but those
who vow to keep the past alive somehow. Happy Patriots
Day everyone.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
Okay, have a safe and healthy weekend. Please join me
again next week for another edition of the show. I'm
Nicole Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
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