Posted on by Phil Strawn

God Bless The Alamo


A few more days until we solemnly recognize the fall of the Alamo, March 6th, 1836. It’s not a day that will live in infamy like Pearl Harbor, the battles of Gettysburg and Yorktown, but for us native Texans, it’s a day of retrospect that deserves the reverence we bestow upon it.

The blog-es-phere is chock full of opinions about Travis and his men; poor old Santa Anna only wanted to get along, move along and be friends, but had to kill all the defenders because he was forced to. Bullshit, he was a murdering dictator and knew full well what he was doing. Three thousand plus soldiers against less than two hundred poorly equipped pioneers and farmers. Not much brotherly love was present in San Antonio that February and March. There are even stories, one of which I read today, that swear black slaves were picking Texas cotton outside the gates of the mission before the Mexican army invaded. If it’s on the internet, it’s got to be true. Right?

Starting in the first grade, I was taught the history of the Alamo. My teacher made sure my classmates and I knew the story of the battle, the events that led up to it, and the aftermath at San Jacinto. Mrs. Edwards, my teacher, was a native of San Antonio, so she was a bit “ett” up with the whole thing. Us six year- olds, although slightly lacking in historical proficiency, understood the enormity and the importance of the battle. We regularly staged a neighborhood reproduction of the battle a few times a month, using my parent’s garage as the besieged mission.

Walt Disney and his television series Davey Crockett, King of The Wild Frontier, turned every boy, and most girls, in my grade school into a rabid Texian defender, ready and willing to fight the battle a second time using our Daisy BB guns and Cub Scout knives for arms. Having a native Texan and hometown boy, Fess Parker, in the role of old Davey didn’t go unnoticed in Fort Worth. Fess, dressed in full buckskin and coonskin cap came to Fort Worth to promote the show and the schools had to declare a holiday because they were empty. That is how serious we are about our history. Yes, we are all braggarts, insufferable most of the time, and onery as a Honey Badger, but pound for pound, put us against any enemy, and we will get the job done. My fellow members at The Sons of The Alamo Lodge, of which I am a member in good standing, can attest to our state of readiness.

Keep your powder dry; God Bless The Alamo, Goliad, San Jacinto, William Travis, Sam Houston, Juan Sequin, Davey Crockett, Bob Wills, Willie Nelson, and George Strait.

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14 Replies to “God Bless The Alamo”

  4. Back in the hood in Queens, there were many who sported the coonskin cap. singing “Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier” in our shrill little voices.
    Later in the 50s & early 60s, the Kingston Trio had a song, “Remember the Alamo”. One verse stands out in my mind even today:
    “A hundred and eighty were challenged by Travis to die
    by a line that he drew with his sword when the battle was nigh
    …..(can’t remember this part)
    And over the line stepped a hundred and seventy nine.”
    A proud song about proud and brave men. Still need some.

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    1. Good to know old Davey and Travis had supporters in New York, who would have thought? Yep, we could use some of them about now. Marty Robbins also had a hit song about the Alamo that was used in the John Wayne film.

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  5. When I visited San Antonio on a business trip back in olden times I toured the Alamo. Little tiny building that filled me with a sense of awe. Texans have a lot to be proud of, I think.

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    1. It is small. the original mission and it’s courtyards was large, but over time, it has shrunk to accomodate downtown SA. Back in the 90s stayed at the Crockett Hotel, across the street, and behind the mission. During a thunderstorm around 2 AM I was looking out my third floor window at the mission. There were figures walking in the courtyard, not just a few, but dozens. The lightning illuminated them. I was creeped so bad, sleep was impossilbe. I mentioned the next day to one of the docents at the Alamo. She said it was ghost. They are there nightly and have been since the battle. A student of the Alamo and all things Texas, I have likely been brainwashed since childhood, but then, there are worse things to be proud of.

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      2. I visited there five or six years ago and loved it. Texas is someplace I really like to come in the winter. But have been concerned about whether it’s safe these days.

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      3. Yeah, the Alamo is rather sacred to us Texans. It’s good here in the winter because central on down and west, we don’t have much of a winter, 3 or 4 days and that’s it. The rest of the time, it’s summer. It’s safe here as long as you stay away from the border areas. We all carry pistols, so we will protect you.

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  6. We were in Big Bend so we were very near the border, I think. Wouldn’t do that again. But we also loved Galveston and Corpus Christi. My dad loved it that a way and worked on a cattle ranch. My mom was with him part of the time, but it was too “brown” for her. She was whining about going home and they were staying in some hotel, motel, I guess, and when they woke up it had flooded and their suitcases were floating around the room. Ha. But I love Texas and my dad did. Giant was his favorite movie.

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    1. Momo and I lived in Galveston about 5 years back and my son and his family live on North Padre Island, right down from Port A. We are going to Terlingua in the Big Bend in May before it’s too hot, and yep, we will be a packing some heat. Cowboying in Texas is a tough life. My grandad was a cowpuncher. Giant, is my all time favorite film about Texas. We were in Marfa a few years back and visited the land where it was filmed. The town has yet to get over the experience. Glad your family got to experience our great state.

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  7. It is a great movie. You’ll think I’m exaggerating but my mother was nearly as pretty as Liz, as pretty in her way, and their personalities were quite the same–all of them in the movie. Movie star gorgeous. I think my dad identified with both Rock Hudson and James Dean, ha. She was a Birmingham, MI girl and he was wild. Unfortunately, I look like my dad. Ha. I’ll post a picture of my mom on my blog for tomorrow. I’ve done it before. She did hair modeling. So it was a big movie in our family. Love Yellow Rose of Texas. Ha

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