Sheet music:Any Bonds Today?

The child of impoverished Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, Irving Berlin became one of the most renowned composers of popular, patriotic music in the 20th century. In 1941 Berlin borrowed the image of Uncle Sam and adapted a song from the 1938 musical "Carefree" to create "Any Bonds Today?" Written as the theme song for the National Defense Savings Program, it became the most popular war bond song in history. While serving in the U.S. Army during WWI, Berlin wrote the musical Yip, Yip, Yaphank (1918), which army personnel performed as a benefit. The musical included the hit song "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning." In 1938, on the eve of World War II, Berlin's patriotic song "God Bless America" was unofficially adopted as a second national anthem. During World War II, Berlin wrote another all-soldier stage musical, This Is the Army (1942). In recognition of his patriotism, Berlin received the army's Medal of Merit from President Harry Truman in 1945 and a Congressional Gold Medal from President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1977 President Gerald Ford awarded Berlin the Medal of Freedom.