North Carolina's Military History and Honoring Our Veterans

Last week, our Department participated in Military Appreciation Day at the North Carolina State Fair. We have been participating in this program for four years, and this year was the first in which I served as the primary organizer. Aside from discounts for active military and veterans, the State Fair puts on a variety of programs aimed at those constituencies. Various military bands play throughout the day and a number of veterans organizations set up information tables. For our role, we gather as many costumed interpreters from as many different periods of our state's history and participate in a morning parade that winds through a good portion of the fairgrounds, as well as conducting a narrated uniform review on stage in the afternoon. Though we had some folks drop out at the last minute, we still had a good number of folks attend, and had one of the largest crowds I remember for the uniform review. In exchange for their time, participants receive a meal voucher that can be redeemed at select fair vendors and some down time to wander around and enjoy the fair. I thought I would share this year's participants:

1585 Ralph Lane Expedition

Colonial Wars (L-R, 1771 Regulator Rebellion, French & Indian War, and War of Jenkins' Ear)

American Revolution (a sailor and three soldiers of the 1st NC Continental Line)

War of 1812 (L-R, a sailor, NC militia, and two members of the 10th US Regulars)

1830s NC Militia, off to fight in the war for Texian Independence

Civil War nurse

One of Sherman's "bummers" and a NC infantryman

Union cavalry, 36th NC (artillery), and Union artillery

35th US Colored Troops (raised in eastern NC)

Confederate Marine, US Marine, Confederate sailor, and Union sailor

Spanish-American War (1898)

Great War (L-R, Salvation Army, US Marine, 30th Division Sanitary Corps, 105th Signal Battalion)

Great War Military Police

World War II (L-R, Coast Guard Beach Patrol, US Marine, US Army, Paratrooper)

Korean War medic

And, when at the State Fair, one gets to do cool stuff like ride in a 1941 troop carrier with colleagues of all different time periods. Take a look!