The year 1898 was an exciting year for us kids and everybody as that was the year the Battle Ship Maine blew up in the Havana Harbor. The slogan "Remember the Maine", "To Hell with Spain" was born and the papers used full head lines, kids wore buttons with "Remember the Maine" on them and we heard out parents argue and predict all kinds of terrifying events. The kids started to wish they were older and bigger and could go to war and shoot a few Spaniards, the awful foreigners who were killing our good friends the Cubans.

On April 11, 1898 was declared with all its rumors and predictions of how New York City was to be bombarded by the Spanish fleet. This was before radio and television so we did not know how large the Spanish Fleet was or even where it was at that time. The kids became very thrilled and excited.

The young men, who craved excitement and action, started enlisting in the Army. I remember an Uncle of mine, a member of the Detroit Scott Guard, a cocky little guy and how very thrilling it was to me to listen to him and see him in his new uniform - with his shoulders held back, his head high and the spark of battle in his eye. I remember the day his regiment left, with the sweethearts and mothers crying, lots of music, speeches, flag waving and cheering. It had a sad ending for my Uncle, and also for me, as in a short time he came back looking like he had gone through a wringer, yellow in color, skinny and with a kind of a shiver in his voice. I heard people talking about mosquitoes and rotten embalmed canned beef. I was a very confused boy as I thought he was a great guy and he would return with a lot of Spanish souvenirs and a few medals - but looking at him I could see nothing but disappointment in his eyes. I felt sorry for him and learned to hate mosquitoes and the guys who sold canned beef to the government.

McKinley was our President at this time, but Theodore Roosevelt, assistant secretary of the Navy, did most of the shouting and speech making and eventually organized the "Rough Riders" and enlisted them in our Army. He went away to become a hero to all the he-men of our nation and eventually one of our most exciting presidents.

The war was a sad one for Spain. We sank all of Admiral Cevera's fleet as they ran away from Havana Harbor - with the loss of one man and he died from the heat and excitement. We lost another two men while landing our army on the coast, by drowning (maybe they couldn't swim) but history doesn't say.

This war lasted ten weeks and we lost 280, killed in action, but it was an exciting affair maybe one-sided - thank the Lord.

The sad part was that not the Spaniard but the mosquitoes that carried Yellow Fever germs, and the embalmed canned beef right in our own country, were our toughest enemies. They caused lots of deaths and sickness that were felt for a good many years.

I don't know what the canners did to the beef, but many an ex-soldier could not look at a meat packing plant without having cold shivers run up and down his back for a good many years.

Richard Hobson made himself a hero by trying to block the harbor entrance by sinking his boat in the channel - but missed the channel and spent the next few years making speeches and being idolized by a lot of silly women. I might mention he was a good looking guy, and was kissed by some of Americas most beautiful women in his triumphant tour of the country.

I can still remember the picture of Admiral George Dewey, standing on the bridge of his battleship with his binoculars, watching the shells from the Spanish Fleet falling, into the Ocean, a good half mile away - a very exciting picture to kids.

We also chased the Spaniards out of the Philippines. Then we had to lick the Filipinos themselves, under the rebel leader Agruanlo and that took us about three years (about 4,300 soldiers and 60,000 Philippines) to convince them they had to govern their own people according to our standards.

The results of these conflicts were that Theodore Roosevelt became a hero and eventually President of our Country. The Cubans learned how to fight among themselves instead of fighting with the Spaniards, the Philippines learned how to run their own government to suit the United States and big business made more money and became larger and the working class had more jobs.

Detroit, being part of the United States, had a lot of war heroes, captured Spanish Flags, cannons, and rifles which were used to decorate armories, city halls and county buildings.

Most of these heroes got in politics and were elected to public offices with bad results. War records and medals do not make good sensible aldermen, mayors or governors!