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HOST:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, a VOA Special English program aboutmusic and culture, plus your questions about American life.
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This is Doug Johnson. This week —
We remember jazz musician HerbieMann …
And we answer a question about military service in America …
But first, have you ever heard of the Hatfields and the McCoys?Well, keep listening!
Hatfield and McCoy Reunion
HOST:
One of the best-known family disputes in American history hasofficially ended. Members of the Hatfield and McCoy families havesigned a treaty to end more than one-hundred years of disagreement.Shep O’Neal explains.
ANNCR:
The dispute between these two families began in theeighteen-sixties. At that time, Randolph McCoy was head of the McCoyfamily in the southern state of Kentucky. Anderson Hatfield livedwith his family across the state border in West Virginia. Each was afarmer. Each had at least thirteen children.
History experts are not really sure how the dispute started. Somepeople say it began over tensions that developed during the AmericanCivil War. Others believe bad feelings developed ineighteen-seventy-three when Randolph McCoy accused Floyd Hatfield ofstealing a pig. Floyd Hatfield was later found innocent. But thefairness of the trial was questioned.
The dispute between the two families turned violent ineighteen-eighty-two. Three sons of Randolph McCoy shot and killedAnderson Hatfield’s younger brother after he insulted one of them.The McCoys were arrested. But this did not satisfy AndersonHatfield. He kidnapped and killed them as punishment for killing hisbrother. The McCoy family reacted. At least twelve people werekilled during the violence that followed.
Fighting between the Hatfields and McCoys ended innineteen-hundred. Today, members of these two families say they hopeany long-term effects of the dispute have ended as well. Tocelebrate this goodwill, Reo Hatfield proposed a treaty. He saidthat if the Hatfields and McCoys can settle their differences, otherdisputing people can as well.
So, more than sixty members of the two families signed the treatyon June fourteenth. They gathered in Pikeville, Kentucky, thehometown of the McCoy family. The Hatfields came from Matewan, WestVirginia. The governors of Kentucky and West Virginia declared Junefourteenth “Hatfield and McCoy Reconciliation Day.” The two familieshave gathered on this day for the past four years to honor theirfamily members and to remember their history together.
American Military Forces
HOST:
Our listener question this week comes from Vietnam. Dung TrungNguyen writes: “Would you mind telling me if American citizens havebeen called up for military service these days? If I am not wrong,after the Vietnam War, universal military service in the States wasabolished.”
What ended after the Vietnam War was not universal militaryservice but the draft. Since nineteen-seventy-three, the UnitedStates military has been all-volunteer. Each person has chosen tojoin.
Universal military service is a system that requires allable-bodied men, and sometimes women, to serve for a time. TheUnited States has never done this. What the country has done duringtimes of war or when it needed more troops is to hold drafts. Adraft is a system of choosing people for required military service.
During the war in Iraq, there was no draft but some people werecalled to active service. These were members of the militaryreserve.
There are different ways to serve in the Army, Navy, MarineCorps, Air Force, Coast Guard or National Guard. The two most commonways are service in the regular forces or the reserves.
Service in the regular forces means the military is a full-timejob for as long as a person has agreed to serve. People who choosethe reserves return to their civilian life after they finish theirbasic training. They continue training and meet with a reserve forcenear their home. Reservists may be called to active duty when theregular forces need them.
Reserve soldiers took part in the fight for Baghdad. They alsohad other duties such as medical aid. These included medicalprofessionals called to active duty by the Navy to serve on ahospital ship.
The United States government still has the right to call on thepublic to fill the needs of the military in times of emergency. Forthis reason, when American men reach eighteen, they must list theirname and address with the government in case there is ever anotherdraft.
Herbie Mann
HOST:
Jazz musician Herbie Mann died earlier this month of prostatecancer. He was seventy-three years old. Herbie Mann was one of thefirst jazz musicians to mix Brazilian, African and American music.Phoebe Zimmermann has more.
ANNCR:
Herbie Mann was born Herbert Solomon in Brooklyn, New York, innineteen-thirty. He always wanted to play jazz. But he could notdecide what instrument to use. He finally settled on the flute, anunusual choice for a jazz musician.
Herbie Mann helped make the jazz flute a popular instrument. Hisfirst hit record was released in nineteen-sixty-two. It was called”Comin’ Home Baby.”
(MUSIC: COMIN’ HOME BABY)
At the same time, Herbie Mann became interested in Brazilianmusic. He went to Brazil and recorded with bossa nova musicianAntonio Carlos Jobim. Jobim’s voice is on this recording of “OneNote Samba.”
(MUSIC: ONE NOTE SAMBA)
Herbie Mann started playing his jazz music around the world inthe nineteen-sixties. He traveled to Europe, Japan, Africa and LatinAmerica. He continued to perform and record until his death. Hislast performance was in New Orleans, Louisiana, in May. We leave younow with another of Herbie Mann’s popular jazz recordings, “MemphisUnderground.”
(MUSIC: MEMPHIS UNDERGROUND)
HOST:
This is Doug Johnson. Do you have a question about American life?Send it to mosaic at v-o-a news dot com. Or write to AmericanMosaic, VOA Special English, Washington, D.C.,two-zero-two-three-seven, USA. If we use your question, you willreceive a gift. So make sure to give your name and postal address.
Our program was written by Jill Moss, Nancy Steinbach and PaulThompson, who was also our producer. And our studio engineer wasVosco Volaric.
I hope you enjoyed our program! Join us again next week forAMERICAN MOSAIC — VOA’s radio magazine in Special English.