Hirschi Law Group PLLC

November 11 - 17

This Week in History
Military Scholars

VMINovember 11, 1839 -  The Virginia Military Institute, the oldest state-supported military college in the nation, was founded in Lexington, Virginia. Nicknamed the "West Point of the South," VMI has graduated more General Officers of the United States military than any other college in the United States except the federal service academies. Among its graduates are seven recipients of the Medal of Honor, nine four-star generals, and the first ever five-star general, George C. Marshall, the top U.S. Army general during World War II.


Honoring the Fallen
Tomb of the Unknowns


November 11, 1921 - The Tomb of the Unknowns was dedicated by President Warren G. Harding at Arlington National Cemetery. The monument is dedicated to American service members who have died without their remains being identified. The Tomb of the Unknowns has been guarded continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, since July 2, 1937, no matter the weather. It is considered one of the highest honors to serve as a ceremonial guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The guards do not wear rank insignia on their uniforms so that they do not outrank the Unknowns, whatever their rank may have been. While guarding the Tomb, guards perform a detailed marching ritual that includes walking 21 steps in a straight line in front of the Tomb, alluding to the 21-gun salute. The guard wears metal plates on their shoes so each step is pronounced.

 

Cold-Blooded Murder

November 15, 1959 -  Four members of the Herbert Clutter Family were murdered at their farm outside Holcomb, Kansas. The killers, Richard "Dick" Hickock and Perry Smith, were ex-convicts on parole from the Kansas State Penitentiary who went to the Clutter house intent on robbing them. Hickock had been told by a former cellmate that Clutter kept a large amount of cash in a safe in his house. When the men discovered that there was no safe they murdered the entire family and left without taking anything. The following day a headline about the murders in The New York Times caught the attention of author Truman Capote, who traveled to Kansas to research the crime. His book about the murders, In Cold Blood, became a best-seller and was a pioneering work of the true crime genre.

"HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD"

Inscription on the Tomb of the Unknowns

Happy Veteran's Day!
 
 
 Iwo Jima

Hirschi Law Group would like to thank the brave men and women of the United States military, both past and present, for their honorable service in defending and preserving our liberty.

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