Unsung Heroes -- September 11, 2012

Today I went to Good Shepherd School in Pacifica and talked to grades 6-7-8 about unsung heroes of the Revolutionary War. They are participating in a DAR essay contest on the subject. They had trouble with the idea of an unsung hero.  I asked if there was such a thing as a sung hero.  I told them how cultures used to make songs about their great heroes.  I mentioned Gilgamesh, the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Aeneid, Beowulf and the sagas.  I talked about different groups and people from each group who are not famous.  One example was Joseph Louis Cook, Akiatonharónkwen, a man of mixed African and Mohawk descent, who led the Oneidas on the side of the Patriots. The sketch "Colonel Louis of the Oneidas" is by John Trumbull. This was the fourth year I have talked to the 8th graders.  I enjoyed the experience, but I'm very tired.