Ever wonder where JEEP got the Rubicon "moniker" for their top-of-the-line model?

Today, the phrase "crossing the Rubicon" is a metaphor that means to "pass a point of no return."

C.J. "Mac" McBride in an original Jeep in the South Pacific, 1945 . "Tokyo Bound" his M4 Sherman Medium tank is in the background with protective tarp on the turret. This pic is from September '45 (after the Japanese surrender.)

I first learned of Caesar's Crossing of the Rubicon on January 10, 49 BC from my dad, C. J. "Mac" McBride. He was sharing a story of one of his favorite professors from LaSalle College, Ugo Donini (1901-1980) 

Born in Italy, Ugo Donini used to say with understandable pride that, as a youngster, he had been confirmed by a priest who would later became a Pope. Like many longtime teachers of history, Professor Donini lived through so many eras of history which he would later bring to life in the classroom. 

His 32 years of instruction at La Salle College (University) (1936-1942 and 1946-1972) elevated him to iconic status. Many remember his distance running at an age when most men do not run. He won the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1967.

Professor Donini taught my dad and countless other returning Vets right after World War II.

C. J. "Mac" McBride... Home from the Pacific. "First Day of School" with a new suit. (September 1946).

My Dad shared how Professor Donini presented history in such a way that you literally felt you were there... or at least that Ugo was there! 

I vividly recall my dad recounting the first time Professor Donini presented the story of Caesar crossing the Rubicon. Ugo presented the tale as if he was a member of Caesar's XIIIth Legion.. and with a name like Donini, he very well could have been!

Here's the history...

Julius Caesar's crossing the Rubicon river on January 10, 49 BC precipitated the Roman Civil War, which ultimately led to Caesar's becoming dictator and the rise of the imperial era of Rome. Caesar had been appointed to a governorship over a region that ranged from southern Gaul to Illyricum (but not Italy). As his term of governorship ended, the Roman Senateordered Caesar to disband his army and return to Rome. He was explicitly ordered not to take his army across the Rubicon river, which was at that time a northern boundary of Italy.

The modern Rubicon river (dark blue), believed to be the same river crossed by Caesar

During the late Roman Republic, the river Rubicon marked the boundary between the Roman province of Cisalpine Gaul to the north-east and Italy proper (controlled directly by Rome and its allies) to the south. On the north-western side, the border was marked by the river Arno, a much wider and more important waterway, which flows westward from the Apennine Mountains (its source is not far from Rubicon's source) into the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Governors of Roman provinces were appointed pro-magistrates with imperium (roughly, "right to command") in one or more provinces. The governors then served as generals of the Roman army within the territory they ruled. Roman law specified that only the elected magistrates (consuls and praetors) could hold imperium within Italy. Any pro-magistrate who entered Italy at the head of his troops forfeited his imperium and was therefore no longer legally allowed to command troops.

Exercising imperium when forbidden by the law was a capital offense. Furthermore, obeying the commands of a general who did not legally possess imperium was a capital offense. If a general entered Italy in command of an army, both the general and his soldiers became outlaws and were automatically condemned to death. Generals were thus obliged to disband their armies before entering Italy.

Julius Caesar paused on the banks of the Rubicon.

On January 10, 49 BC Julius Caesar led a single legion, Legio XIII, south over the Rubicon from Cisalpine Gaul to Italy to make his way to Rome. In doing so, he deliberately broke the law on imperium and made armed conflict inevitable. Roman historian, Suetonius, depicts Caesar as undecided as he approached the river, and attributes the crossing to a supernatural apparition. It was reported that Caesar dined with Sallust, Hirtius, Oppius, Lucius Balbus and Sulpicus Rufus on the night after his famous crossing into Italy January 10.

According to Suetonius, Caesar uttered the famous phrase ālea iacta est ("the die has been cast"). The phrase "crossing the Rubicon" has survived to refer to any individual or group committing itself irrevocably to a risky or revolutionary course of action, similar to the modern phrase "passing the point of no return". Caesar's decision for swift action forced Pompey, the consuls and a large part of the Roman Senate to flee Rome in fear.

Semper Fi and God Bless us... everyone… Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman, Coastguardsman, Military Families and Veterans!

#history US Army US Navy Marine Corps Recruiting United States Marine Corps United States Air Force United States Naval Academy United States Air Force Academy United States Military Academy at West Point #vets #vha #military Father Judge High School Villanova University #hks #ivyleague ZeOmega   #challengeaccepted 

References: Duruy, Victor, History of Rome vol. V (1883); Suetonius "Life of Julius Caesar" in Davis, William Stearns, Readings in Ancient History (1912)."Julius Caesar Crosses the Rubicon, 10 January, 49 BC" EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com.

Paul McBride is a former Marine Officer, and the Founder and President of American Military Society Press. Currently he serves as RVP at ZeOmega a You can contact him at pmcbride@zeomega.com

NB: This article originally appeared on the AMSP1775 Website January 10, 2017