Aaron Pareira. A soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was an only son whose mother requested him at his dying father's bedside so that he could say first kaddish. His request for furlough denied by his captain, he slipped away to be with his parents. And although he returned to his base after his absence without leave and reported directly to his captain, he was court-martialed for desertion and faced the firing squad. The courts would not grant his appeal. He was perceived by the courts and the public as a deserter. His harsh punishment would serve as an example to discourage the increasing number of Union army desertions. Only his mother's direct petition to Abraham Lincoln himself could save her son's life through a Presidential Pardon. The President granted Mrs. Pareira a hearing. After reviewing all details of the case, Mr. Lincoln discerned an element of the heroic in Aaron Pareira's behavior: He had risked the certainty of severe consequences to do what his conscience dictated was the right thing to do.
In spite of tremendous public, military, and judicial pressures, Lincoln granted Pareira this exceptional pardon. Abe Lincoln's judgment was not faulty. Pareira served with devotion, advanced to become an officer and was decorated for unusual bravery in action. His name stands in history with the other great Jewish American heroes.
Each year the President of the United States pardons a turkey before Thanksgiving at a White House ceremony. The tradition's origin is uncertain. One story claims that Harry Truman pardoned a turkey in 1947, but the Truman Library has been unable to find any evidence for this. Another claims that the tradition dates back to Abraham Lincoln pardoning his son Tad's pet turkey. Both of these stories have been quoted in recent presidential speeches