(May 11, 1888–September 22, 1989), was a Russian-born American songwriter. The son of a rabbi, he was four-years old when he came with his family to New York. He served as a U.S. infantry sergeant during World War I. His works include: Remember; Always; Alexander’s Ragtime Band; Easter Parade; and White Christmas. In 1945, President Harry S. Truman awarded him the Medal of Merit for “extraordinary service as creator and producer of the musical revue, This Is the Army.”3408
In 1954, President Eisenhower signed a Congressional bill awarding Berlin a gold medal “in recognition of his services in composing many popular songs, including “God Bless America.”3409 Upon receiving the medal, February 19, 1955, Irving Berlin commented to President Eisenhower:
To me, “God Bless America” was not just a song but an expression of my feeling toward the country to which I owe what I have and what I am.3410
In 1917, he wrote the patriotic song God Bless America, though not introducing it until 1938. He gave all the royalties from the song, approximately $100,000, to the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts of America.
God Bless America, Land that I Love,
Stand Beside Her, and Guide Her,
Through the Night, with the Light From Above,
From the Mountains, to the Prairies,
To the Oceans White with Foam,
God Bless America, My Home Sweet Home,
God Bless America, My Home Sweet Home!3411