Brad Bennett To Head Andersonville

Brad Bennett has been named the superintendent of Andersonville National Historic Site, effective July 5th.

“We are very proud to have Brad joining our team in the Southeast,” said David Vela, regional director for Southeast Region. “He has a broad base of Park Service knowledge and experience and has proven himself to be an excellent manager and educator. We know he will be a great leader for Andersonville.”

Bennett has served in multiple management posts during his 18-year National Park Service career, including two Civil War sites – as acting superintendent of Georgia’s Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in 2008, and as acting superintendent of Virginia’s Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park in 2001.

He also held several positions in Alaska Region, beginning with a 2002 detail as a management assistant in the remote Western Arctic National Parklands, based in Kotzebue.  He went on to serve as superintendent of Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, manager of the interagency Alaska Public Lands Information Center in Anchorage, and most recently as the Alaska Region’s chief of interpretation and education.

Bennett started his National Park Service career in 1991 as a Student Conservation Association volunteer at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. During his tenure there, he served as a seasonal interpreter, visitor use assistant, park guide, park ranger, and interpretive specialist. His career progression ultimately lead him to become the first manager of the $25 million dollar orientation and transportation complex on the South Rim, which opened in 2000.

During a subsequent assignment at Harpers Ferry Center in West Virginia, Bennett worked with planning and development teams on several interpretive media projects across the National Park System, including Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail in Alabama.

Bennett grew up on the front range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains and met his wife, Emma-Gray, at the University of Southern California.  Prior to securing his first permanent position with NPS, Bennett worked as a paralegal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and as the volunteer coordinator for the Mountains Education Program, a non-profit organization that introduced Los Angeles children to their first outdoor experiences in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

“I am humbled and honored to join park staff, partners, and volunteers to care for Andersonville and tell its powerful stories,” Bennett said. “The ongoing commitment of many dedicated people will ensure that this special place continues to offer meaningful experiences to present and future generations.”

Brad, Emma-Gray, and their three school-aged children will journey from Alaska to Georgia in early July. They are looking forward to moving closer to family members who live in the Southeast Region. 

 

2009 Memorial Day Avenue of Flags and Headstone Flag Placement Event

From May 15, 2009, through June 1, 2009, the grounds of the Andersonville National Cemetery will be decorated with the Stars and Stripes in a tribute to those who have served our country and paid the ultimate price.

On Friday, May 15, the members of the Warner Robins Motorcycle Club will stage a motorcycle ride from Warner Robins, GA to Andersonville for the purpose of raising approximately 250 American flags along the roads within the Andersonville National Cemetery.  Additionally, the grounds around the National Prisoner of War Museum will display the 50 flags of these United States.

On Saturday, May 23, 400-600 Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Brownie Scouts, Tiger Cubs, Daisy Scouts, school clubs, and professional groups will participate in the placement of approximately 19,000 flags in front of the graves of every veteran and their spouses.  The event begins with the presentation of the flag by an award-winning Junior ROTC Flag Corps from the area.  This will be followed by the “Pledge of Allegiance” by all participants.  A seven-man honor guard will then render honors through a 21 gun salute, followed by the playing of Taps.

By noon, all of the flags will be in place, and the grounds will be a rainbow of red, white, and blue, paying homage to our fallen veterans.

The flags from both the Avenue of Flags and the Gravesite decorations will remain in place through Monday, June 1, 2009.  The Andersonville National Cemetery is open every day, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  There is no charge to visit the National Cemetery or the adjoining prison stockade and National POW museum.

ANDERSONVILLE OBSERVES ECHOTAPS ON ARMED FORCES DAY 03/09/09 Of all the military bugle calls, none is so easily recognized or more apt to render emotion than the call “TAPS”. The melody is both eloquent and haunting. On Armed Forces Day, Saturday May 16, 2009 at 11:00am the solemn call of Taps will be sounded at National Cemeteries across the United States and in Foreign Countries. This tribute to Veterans past and present is being called Echotaps and will be sounded by hundreds of civilian bugle and trumpet players across the country. Andersonville National Historic Site and Cemetery will participate in this observance.  Echotaps began in May 2005 as a tribute to the men and women who serve in the United States military and defend our country in times of war and peace. The first cascading rendition of “TAPS” was given in upstate New York between Bath National Cemetery and Woodlawn National Cemetery, a distance of 46 miles, by 647 men and women buglers. The public is encouraged to be a part of this Service by being a witness and also to be a part of the program by sounding “TAPS” at Andersonville National Historic Site. Those capable of giving an honorable sounding are invited to contact John Gray at 229-924-0343 extension 202 to be added to the role of buglers. All buglers will gather at 10:00am in the National Prisoner of War Museum. Following the event those taking part will have the honor of meeting and fellowshipping with Ex-Prisoner of War Captain Bill Robinson, the longest held enlisted soldier of the Vietnam War. This gathering will be held at the Rostrum in the cemetery. The National Park Service maintains fourteen National Cemeteries nationwide. Two of these, Andersonville National Historic Site and Andrew Johnson National Historic Site are classified as active, continuing to intern veterans and their dependents on a regular basis. Since November 1865 Andersonville National Cemetery has been “Honoring and Remembering our military veterans”. Andersonville National Historic Site is located ten miles north of Americus, Georgia on Highway 49. Park grounds open at 8:00 a.m., the National Prisoner of War Museum opens at 8:30 a.m. The park closes at 5:00 p.m. For more information call 229-924-0343.