Ranger Kevin Reflects on Army Heritage Day
NPS Photo Rangers perform a weapons demonstration on Army Heritage Day Hello everyone! Ranger Kevin here back for my second summer on Governors Island and loving every minute of it! Last year's 5th annual Army Heritage Day was a blast and a great celebration of the military's long history here on the Island, so I had high expectations going into number six this year. Fortunately I wasn't disappointed! We here at the National Monument were proud to have our best turnout ever this year, with over 2500 contacts throughout the day! The enthusiastic visitors kept all of us Rangers, our wonderful volunteers, and our programming partners very busy, but glad to have such great participation. 
NPS Photo Pawling's Levies fire flintlock muskets It was a real treat to welcome back Colonel Albert Pawling's Levies for another Army Heritage Day. Dressed as Revolutionary War era soldiers, they really helped to bring history alive and remind us what it meant to live a military life in the 18th century. And besides, nothing attracts a crowd like the roar of a flintlock musket! People always get a kick out of historic weapons demonstrations, but folks really showed their interest by swamping the soldiers with questions after the shooting was over. I've seen a ton of demos, and even fired a historic weapon or two in my time, but Pawling's Levies always keep it interesting and bring an amazing amount of historic knowledge to the table. The more than 350 people who stopped at their camp were definitely impressed. It was also great to see so many kids enjoying the historic toys the Levies brought out as well. Unfortunately, I'm terrible at the cup-and-ball! 
NPS Photo Rangers in Civil War living history gear Along with the Levies, NPS Rangers and Joe Korber of the Civil War-era 119th New York Volunteers were camped out dressed in Union blue, with Joe regaling the steady stream of visitors to the tents, about 750 in all, with his fine playing of military music. As a musician myself, I particularly enjoy hearing Joe play and talk about life as a military musician. Having him out here is also a great way to celebrate the Army tradition on Governors Island as the Governors Island School of Practice was a training center for military musicians during the 19th century. One of my favorite stories to tell visitors is the tale of Julius Langbein, a 15-year-old graduate who won the Medal of Honor for helping an injured office receive medical treatment under heavy enemy fire during the Civil War. 
NPS Photo The 319th Army Band The two bands that came out to help us celebrate brought a festive air to the island, and especially the parade ground. First, the 319th Army Band played patriotic tunes for the almost one hundred-person crowd, and stopped passersby in their tracks. It was awesome the way those horns carried through the air (gotta love 'em)! Then later on in the afternoon we were all excited to see the Melissa Kate Project again breaking it down with some sultry tunes. The combination of their keys, bass, drums, and Melissa's voice was fabulous once again! I have no doubt the servicemen and women she plays for around the world are equally impressed as the 150 or so who got a chance to hear her on the island. We really look forward to special events like Army Heritage Day, so it is a bit sad at the end of the day when the soldiers are packing up their tents, and the bands are loading their amps onto their van. But after experiencing my second celebration, I'm very confident that the 7th Annual Army Heritage Day will be every bit as much a success! |
Did You Know?
When Ulysses Grant asked Julia Dent's father for permission to marry her, Ulysses was instead offered her younger sister, Ellen. Ulysses and Julia were married on August 22, 1848