Hal Stearns at the American Legion
 | Author:
Matt Nelson
MT43 News Correspondent |
Hal Stearns speaks in Townsend
Matt Nelson
Long-time Montana Historian and retired Army Brigadier General Hal Stearns came from Missoula to give a speech to the Townsend community titled “My Take: Looking at some Montana leaders from the other side of the Looking Glass” on Wednesday, September 28th.
Sponsored by the Crimson Bluffs Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, the lecture was held at the American Legion Post 42 building. Earlier in the day, Hal spoke to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders at Townsend Middle School.
Hal: “You people (of Townsend) have such a wonderful set of pieces related especially to the Lewis and Clark Expedition like the Crimson Bluffs, and the York Islands, and of course the famous black snakes out here. Not many places have this many good takes.
What I did today was talk with the kids up at the school, and the kids were fabulous, I am not kidding you. I have spoken to a lot of students. I have never had kids better than those kids today. I was so impressed with your kids this afternoon. It was really a pleasure. I mean it in all sincerity. I think it was the best group of kids I have been around. They were really terrific young people! I think that says something about all the moms and dads and grandparents and the community.
With the kids today I did spend a fair amount of time with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Corps of the Northwest. I don’t like calling it the Lewis and Clark Expedition as much as the Corps of the Northwest because they weren’t the only guys on the trip. What I wanted to emphasize to those young people was how many times will we come together as a group? As a party? Make a difference? Make something work in the community. What you are going to have this weekend (the Fall Fest) is really a community effort. That’s why you are able to pull it off
I also told them a lot of stories about Montana, and the West! I told them about Yellowstone, and about sharing our borders with Idaho and with Wyoming and the provinces and a little about Glacier. I told tales about the early railroading and about the illegal whiskey trade going across the borders was the biggest reason the Canadian Royal Mounted Police came into the Western part of the Canadian Provinces. I spoke a little bit about ranching and farming and some of the animals.
“I carry my Army Values in my wallet every day: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. Whenever I was talking to military units I was constantly bringing that up for the individuals. Look at any one of those and you can see these are the definitions according to the United States Army, but how true is this for whatever you do in your own walk of life? And that is, what is the duty you have, for whatever organization you belong to? Do you really live up to the values of your own organization? When things are downright difficult, you do have to have a sense of moral courage. I carry my army values with me all the time and I very often build what I am going to talk about those Army Values.
“What we are going to do tonight is take a look at my favorites. And because you are right here in beautiful Townsend, Montana, you can imagine why we are having this gang. There is Meriwether Lewis, and William Clark, and Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, and I like to include Sacagawea. I think that this is one of the greatest stories in all of history. And, for all of us army guys, you are going to love this, I often used to tell this tale, and that is, this is the greatest and the longest reconnaissance ever made by an army unit. Seven thousand, six hundred, and eighty-nine miles, two years, four months, and ten days. Now that’s a long time.”
This was definitely an enjoyable evening with a fantastic speaker.
