■ NATION
THE BATTALION
9A
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Some fear battle may be forgotten
By Pam Easton
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LA PORTE, Texas — There were two cries at The Battle of San
Jacinto: Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!
On Wednesday, those who gathered at the base of the San Jacinto
Monument for a San Jacinto Day celebration added another:
Remember San Jacinto!
“The current movie of the day forgets to even name this battle,”
said Ron Stone, master of ceremonies at Wednesday’s celebration,
which continues through Sunday and culminates with a re-enactment
of the 18-minute battle that secured Texas’ independence.
Disney’s film version of the Battle of the Alamo, which led up to
Texas’ major victory at San Jacinto, has brought in more than $16 mil
lion since opening earlier this month, but is considered a box office
flop. The much-hyped historical film, which cost as much as $140 mil
lion to make and market, is unlikely to recoup its costs, even at the
international box office and in DVD release, some analysts have said.
Those who want to make sure the Battle of San Jacinto is remem
bered know it wouldn’t make a good film, said Kameron Searle, direc
tor of education for the Sons of the Republic of Texas. But nonetheless,
Searle and others want to make sure the battle receives its due.
“If you have been to see The Alamo,’ you will know they just call
it that final battle,” Stone said. “We are in danger of forgetting what
this day is and what this day is about.”
On April 21, 1836, Sam Houston led a weary and angry group of
soldiers and Texas patriots to the military victory that secured Texas’
■ independence following the Alamo and Goliad battles. During the bat-
R^nles at the Alamo and Goliad, every person fighting for the Texas mil-
^^itary perished, Searle said.
“When they got here, it was do or die,” Searle said. “It only lasted
18 minutes, but in those 18 minutes we won our independence and for
ever changed the history and the course of America’s history.”
The victory at San Jacinto paved the way for the United States to
annex almost 1 million square miles of territory that included Texas,
New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California and Utah, as well as parts
of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma.
The Mexican Army was led by Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana, pres
ident of Mexico, whose troops were caught off guard during an after
noon siesta.
Only nine of the Texans were killed while 630 Mexicans died and
730 were taken prisoner. Santa Ana was later captured.
Hundreds of Mexican soldiers who died did so as they tried to flee
through a nearby marsh, which effectively blocked their only escape
route. Their remains are believed to still be buried there.
Sam Houston IV participated in Wednesday’s celebration, reading
a portion of his great grandfather’s battle report. The report detailed
how poorly supplied the Texas troops were.
“Amid every difficulty ... there was no murmuring,” he read.
“Every officer and man proved himself worthy of the cause.”
The defeats at the Alamo and Goliad motivated the “tiny, ragtag
army of farmers,” Searle said.
“There weren’t 20 people in the whole Texas army that had had
military training,” he said.
Texas A&M history professor H.W. Brands told those who attend
ed the gathering, some of whom dressed in vintage clothing reflective
of the period during which the battle was fought, that San Jacinto was
one of the greatest battles in world history.
“It was one of those events in history that no one could have fore
seen, even a week before it happened,” he said. “The Battle of San
Jacinto was something that took Texans, took Americans, took
Mexicans, took the entire world by surprise.”
llifU
►
Honor
jContinued from page 1A
is nice to be recognized for working hard as a student and for
being committed to academics,” Barbier said. “I have strived to
broaden my base of knowledge in many areas and (Phi Beta
| Kappa) recognizes that.”
Besides being an outstanding student, Barbier has been a
[member of CARPOOL for three years, the last two years as pub-
llic relations director. She also holds a leadership position in the
Public Relations Student Society of America and is a member of
the Student Risk Advisory Team, which teaches risk management
skills to student organizations.
“I’ve been involved in several extracurricular activities, and I
think I’ve tried to make the most of the other education, so it’s
nice to be honored for academics as well, “ Barbier said.
Several members of Phi Beta Kappa have gone on to achieve
great fame and prestige, Carlson said.
“Six of the nine current Supreme Court Justices are Phi Beta
Kappa,” Carlson said. “And one of the most famous members,
George H.W. Bush was Phi Beta Kappa at Yale. In fact, his Phi
Beta Kappa certificate is hanging in his presidential library.”
Barbier said she sees Phi Beta Kappa as a welcome addition to
A&M’s reputation of quality educators and academic credibility.
“I think it’s definitely exciting for A&M to have a chapter,”
Barbier said. “It brings well-deserved prestige to our school and
it shows that we have very good academics in several areas.”
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las part of his Class of 1950 year
| reunion.
“(This is my) first (on-campus)
Muster since graduation,” Tipton
I said. “Those Musters I didn’t go to I
[held in my backyard.”
Jimmy Tyree, former yell leader
[and Class of 1954, said this Muster
[was also his first.
“I wanted this to be my first on-
Icampus Muster,” Tyree said. “The
University has done a beautiful job of
[maintaining the concrete traditions.”
Muster speaker Jon L. Hagler,
[Class of 1958 and board member of
The Association of Former Students,
addressed changes in tradition to
stress his support for Vision 2020
[during his speech.
“The uniqueness of A&M is its
[spirit,” Hagler said. “Vision 2020 is
[our generation’s response to the
(challenges of change.”
NEWS IN BRIEF
Jackson indicted by grand jury for molestation allegations
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pop star Michael Jackson
was indicted by a Santa Barbara County grand
jury investigating child molestation allegations, tel
evision news organizations reported Wednesday.
The reports by ABC, CNN and MSNBC cited
sources that were unidentified. They had no
details about the indictment, nor was there any
official confirmation or announcement.
Grand jury indictments are usually secret until
a defendant is arraigned.
Jackson attorney Mark Geragos, reached by
telephone, would not answer questions from
The Associated Press about whether there was
an indictment.
Geragos, other defense attorneys and prosecu
tors in the case are covered by a gag order. The
district attorney’s office also would not comment
about the media reports.
“This probably is a court matter, to be able to
give the information out, not the district attor
ney's office,” said Susan Tellem of Tellem
Worldwide, hired to handle media inquiries for
District Attorney Tom Sneddon in the case.
“There’s a gag order... and that means the dis
trict attorney really can’t speak.”
Calls to Sneddon and others in his office were
not immediately returned.
Jackson’s spokeswoman, Raymone Bain,
issued a statement to the AP saying the singer
will plead not guilty during his scheduled April 30
arraignment — if an indictment has been issued.
The statement did not confirm that an indictment
has been handed down.
The singer and his attorneys “are confident that
after a trial ... Jackson will be fully exonerated,”
the statement read. “Michael is looking forward to
his day in court.”
Tellem said court administrator Gary Blair would
determine when the court would officially release
any information about the grand jury. Messages
left at Blair's office were not immediately returned.
The grand jury has spent the last three weeks
hearing from witnesses, including a 14-year-old
boy who claims the pop superstar sexually
abused him.
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