The President's Corner
A Letter from the President April 2021
Dear Members,
Wow, it has been some kind of year! Your Board and I hope that you are all healthy and safe. With vaccines rolling out, our futures look brighter. We all look forward to a renewal of get-togethers with friends and families and a return to “normal” – something we have all missed.
The Website: MHSM.org
I hope you will all avail yourselves of the opportunity to visit our Society’s website: MHSM.org
Until this pandemic is over, the website is key to all of us in the Society staying connected. On it you will be able to access recent articles, information on all future events, and the status of our ROTC program. And, until we are again allowed to bring groups together in-person, Society events will be via ZOOM, which now can be accessed quickly and without fuss.
Thanks to the efforts of David Hruban and Chris Carter, the website has not only become THE gateway to all this information, it’s now streamlined to make access simple and straightforward:
- On the Home Page, click on the Events tab and you will be taken to the Zoom events.
- Want to read the latest featured article? Just click on Featured Articles.
- For the latest updates on the ROTC program, click on the ROTC tab.
David and Chris have worked very hard to bring this simplification to the site and we all hope you enjoy the content which will continue to grow!
Semi-Annual Meeting
Saturday April 10th, at 1200 via Zoom.
Due to health restrictions, it will need to be held via Zoom. You have already – or will soon -receive a letter with instructions on how to log onto the program via our website, along with details of the afternoon agenda.
Semi-Annual Meeting Featured Speaker: 
I am pleased to announce John D. Woodward Jr., As the featured speaker for our April 10 Meeting. Woodward is Professor of the Practice of International Relations at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies.
Drawing upon his extensive experience working in the CIA and studying military intelligence techniques and developments, Professor Woodward will introduce us to the cutting edge biometric technology the military is using to modernize and move into the future.
Website Update – Our Latest Featured Article:
Member Brig. Gen Paul Greg, MA Army National Guard (Ret.) contributes the 2nd installment of this new feature with: “Soldiers Saved Old Ironsides: Union Troops Helped Sail Fabled Ship to Safety.”
The U.S.S. Constitution blazed a spectacular history over a number of naval wars in our early Federalist Era. Now still on active service and berthed at the old Charlestown Naval Yard, we have all had the opportunity to admire this iconic symbol of American naval history.
But what of the time period between then and now? In his article, Brig. Gen. Greg Smith fills in one of the blanks. Originally published in Army Magazine, we all graciously thank Greg Smith and the magazine for allowing us to reprint his article. -The article can be accessed on our website: Click here and enjoy!
Do you have an article to share?
This website feature is designed to tap into the rich experience of our members. If you have original research or personal stories, we would like to hear them. The contribution of written pieces are a great way for members to become better acquainted and continue the founding mission of the Society as a forum for military scholarship.
Lecture Series: Revolutionary Boston
I am proud to announce and introduce a new lecture series. “Revolutionary Boston” will cover new topics and slants on Boston during the Revolutionary War.
Our first lecture will be on Tuesday May 11th at 2:00pm. The speaker is Thomas Rider; a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Most importantly, Thomas Rider was a recipient of a MHSM grant which allowed him to further his research. Mr. Rider’s talk will show our money and faith in him, well spent.
His topic is “From Backcountry To Boston: Continental Riflemen in the American Revolution’s First Campaign.” Neither militia nor highly trained Continentals, Rider will explain who the Continental Riflemen were and what their contribution was to the siege of Boston during 1775-1776.
June will see a second lecture in this ongoing series. More information on that event will be forthcoming later this spring.
2021 ROTC Essay Contest
Our annual essay contest is open to all students enrolled in an ROTC program. This years’ topic is “Civil-Military Relations” and applicants are asked to consider the following: “What specific examples and lessons from military history can political and military leaders draw upon today to inform a rebalancing of U.S. civil-military relations to ensure a modern adaptation of the military’s historically apolitical existence?
What are some specific recommendations for contemporary change, or for maintaining the status quo, that these historical examples provide?”
Certainly, this is a timely issue as we have all witnessed in the last few years. The deadline for submissions is Friday, 30 April, 2021. For further information on the contest and topic please visit our ROTC Essay Contest Page and please feel free to encourage any ROTC cadets you may know to enter.
The Board wants to thank Lt. Colonel Bryan Pillai for overseeing and managing this program. Thank you for being here for us and thank you for being there for these fine young men and women, scholars all and future military officers.
In closing, I extend my best wishes and speak also for the Board in saying that I look forward to seeing you for our exciting upcoming virtual events. We strive to keep the MHSM a vibrant and active Society and as we will continue to keep our members informed of our events and look forward to seeing you all again – in person – in the upcoming months.
Be well,
Robert Gold
President MHSM
MHSM President
