Father John Gerard Hillier

Growing up in Canada, the first and closest affiliation I had with the United States was the old Air Force Base, Fort Pepperrell, that the Americans left behind following World War II. The base was a stone’s throw from our family home. Another reminder of the United States was the weekly rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” played before the NHL hockey game. My dad often lamented that the American national anthem did not make any reference to God. He felt strongly that “God Bless America” would have been a more appropriate acknowledgment of the God-given rights cherished by American patriots. I agreed with my dad back then. However, I later came to discover that the fourth verse of the “Star Spangled Banner does make reference to God with the words: “And this be our motto – ‘In God is our trust’.”

Former prisoner of war and U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Doug Hegdahl reports that fellow U.S. captives in the Vietnam War would authenticate a new prisoner's U.S. identity by using “Shave and a Haircut” as a shibboleth, tapping the first five notes against a cell wall and waiting for the appropriate “two note” response.