Abraham Lincoln Discharges Teen Soldier

Pol Light #63 is when Abraham Lincoln discharged a disabled teenager from the military service on February 7, 1865. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865.

On February 6, 1865, Col. Thomas W. Harris petitioned Illinois Sen. Lyman Trumbull and Gen. John M. Palmer to discharge his son by the way of a telegram that said, "My son Perry Harris 14 years old insane crippled has been mustered in 55th Kentucky regiment. Please have Secretary of War order him discharged. Col. Thos. W. Harris of Shelbyville, Ill."

Perry Harris had enlisted in the army without his parent's permission and he was not the legal age of 18. It was not uncommon in those days for young people to falsify their age both to enlist and to try and get out of the military once they experienced the reality of war. Discharge requests were likely considered with a grain of salt.

General Palmer passed the note to Lincoln with a note that said, "I have no doubt of the truth of this statement. John M. Palmer." When hearing of this situation, Abraham Lincoln ordered that the boy be discharged. He wrote a brief note that said, "Let this boy be discharged. - President Abraham Lincoln. (Source)." The note reached the field and Perry Harris was eventually discharged and released from his regiment in Kentucky ironically on April 15, 1865, the same day Abraham Lincoln was assassinated (Source).

Perry Chiramonte shared this story about Abraham Lincoln in an article for Fox News, when the handwritten letter from Abraham Lincoln about this Pol Light moment was uncovered and put on auction after years in a private collection. Nathan Raab an autograph dealer with the Raab Collection appraised the note at $15,000 and he described the importance of the note to Fox News,

"It shows the type of person [Lincoln] was and how he was defined by clemency. When you see it's involving a father and his son, it strikes a personal chord and likely did for Lincoln. He was a father of four who lost all but one of his sons (Source)."

Abraham Lincoln has been featured on other Pol Light posts. To view all Abraham Lincoln posts search with Abraham Lincoln label at Pol Light.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

Photo: The photo in this post of Abraham Lincoln is in the Public Domain.

Robert Kennedy Delivers News of MLK Assassination

Pol Light Moment #62 occurred on April 4, 1968, when Robert F. Kennedy delivered news of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in a speech given in Indianapolis, Indiana. Robert F. Kennedy served as the Attorney General of the United States from 1961-1964 and he then served as a United States Senator from New York from 1965 until his own death by assassination on June 6, 1968.
When Robert Kennedy gave this speech he was campaigning for President of the United States. The speech that Kennedy was set to give in the inner city of Indianapolis on April 4, 1968, was changed very quickly after Kennedy learned of the news of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s death that afternoon. His speech has been widely recognized as a great success and even though unrest occurred in many major cities after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., there was no violence in Indianapolis, where the speech was delivered. 
The following is a recorded video of Robert F. Kennedy's speech on April 4, 1968.

One of the memorable parts of the speech that Robert F. Kennedy gave that preceded applause was this:

What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black (Robert F. Kennedy Speech at www.historyplace.com).

The following is a video from Podium about the speech that Robert F. Kennedy gave on April 4, 1968.

  You can read the full text of this speech at The History Place website. 
Robert F. Kennedy has been featured on other Pol Light posts. To view all Robert Kennedy posts search with the label Robert Kennedy at Pol Light blog.  Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.
The photo of Robert F. Kennedy with Martin Luther King, Jr in this post is in the Public Domain.

Gordon Smith's Mental Illness Awareness Campaign

Pol Light Moment #61 ocurred on January 23, 2013, when Gordon Smith helped launch the OK2TALK campaign to help prevent suicide among young adults and teenagers who have a mental illness. Gordon Smith represented Oregon as a United States Senator from 1997-2009.

Gordon Smith is currently the CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters. He had a key role in their efforts to start a public service ad campaign called OK2TALK, that was released nationwide on January 23, 2013, in both English and Spanish. "OK2TALK, features the stories of young adults struggling with mental illness (Source).

Here is a video of Gordon Smith explaining his passion for fighting mental illness.

Garrett Smith (Gordon Smith's son) had a mental illness and committed suicide on September 8, 2003, as a 21 year old college student. Gordon Smith said, "History is a hard teacher. I suspect we were like many typical American parents who viewed issues of the mind only in the abstract. If only then we had known what we know now, our son would still be living (Source)."

Gordon Smith has previously done several other things to raise awareness of mental illness following the death of his son. He wrote the book Remembering Garrett, One Family's Battle with a Child's Depression. In addition, the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act was signed by President George W. Bush in 2004. This bill provided $82 million for suicide-prevention and awareness programs at colleges (Source).

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

The photo of Gordon Smith is in the Public Domain.

Jim Blanchard Encourages Giving Back to Alma Mater

Jim Blanchard

Pol Light Moment #60 is when Jim Blanchard encouraged giving support to Michigan State University in a video published on April 13, 2012. James (Jim) Blanchard served as the Governor of the State of Michigan from 1983-1991. Prior to that he represented the 18th District of Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975-1983. Jim Blanchard also served as Ambassador to Canada from 1993-1996.

Jim Blanchard graduated from Michigan State University. This video is Blanchard's effort to help raise money for his alma mater and encourage the older generation to give back to Michigan State University.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.
The photo in this post of James Blanchard is in the Public Domain.