The
Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
went to the Frankfort Cemetery
in Frankfort, Kentucky
October 9, 2011
scroll down for A bit of U.S. Marine
Corp. history
- the Mameluke sword and more
-
"Presley
O'Bannon - Born in Fauquier County, Virginia - entered the Marine
Corps on January 18, 1801. As a first lieutenant assigned to the USS Argus
(1803), he commanded a detachment of seven Marines and two Navy midshipmen
in General William Eaton's small army during the War with Tripoli.
During the combined operations with the U.S. Navy, he led the successful
attack in the Battle of Derna on April 27, 1805, giving the Marines' Hymn
its line to the shores of Tripoli. Although
some sources claim that Presley O'Bannon at this battle became the
first man to raise the American flag over foreign soil, his superior
William Eaton (a former Army officer) actually had done that several months
earlier while traveling on the Nile from Alexandria to Cairo. According to tradition, Hamet Karamanli was so impressed with O'Bannon's bravery that he gave his own Mameluke sword to O'Bannon as a gesture of respect. After O'Bannon returned home, the Virginia legislature presented him with a sword featuring a silver eaglehead hilt and a curved blade modeled after the one Hamet had given him. The blade was inscribed with his name and the date of the battle.
Mameluke
sword: - Because of O'Bannon's Marines' distinguished record during
this campaign, Marine Corps Commandant Archibald Henderson in 1825 adopted
the Mameluke sword for wear by all Marine Corps commissioned officers. Since
the initial distribution in 1826, the Mameluke sword has been worn except
for the years 1859-75, when regulations required Marine officers to wear
the model US Army M1850 foot officers' sword. Mameluke swords are worn today
by Marine Corps officers in dress uniform. 
NOTE: The two RV Gypsies visited the U.S. Marine Corp. Museum in Triangle Virginia several times. Each visit was a bit different. - 
After you have finished ALL 9 sections in Kentucky,
