General Smedley Butler - Part 1- "Remember the Maine!"

On February 15, 1898  The USS Maine mysteriously exploded and sank in the harbor of Havana, Cuba,.  260 US sailors died on that battleship. Stirred up by the press, the American public blamed the sinking on Spain, which then owned Cuba.   The mantra was “Remember the Maine, to hell with Spain.”  In April, America declares open warfare against Spanish rule in Cuba.  

Caught up in Spanish war fervor, 16 year old Smedley Butler could not wait to join up so he lied about his age and received an appointment as second lieutenant in the Marine Corps.  Unfortunately for Lieutenant Butler, the Spanish surrendered before he could participate in the Spanish American War – which ended on August 13, 1898.

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