Photo By 1st Lt. Sean Daily | The Adjutant General of the North Carolina National Guard, Army Maj. Gen. Greg Lusk,...... read more read more
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RALEIGH, N.C. –The Veterans’ Legacy Foundation, hosted a special presentation in the North Carolina State Capitol Building June 29, 2013, to honor and award N.C. Veterans of World War I the medals and honors they earned nearly 95 years ago.
The Veterans’ Legacy Foundation honored the service of five North Carolina WWI Veterans: Cpl. Walter Joyner (30th Infantry Division-NCNG), Pvt. Walter C. Fitzgerald (30th Infantry Division-NCNG), Pvt. Colin C. Shaw (30th Infantry Division-NCNG), Cpl. Joseph F. Greene (82nd Division), and Sgt. Alfred P. Page (U.S. Army Air Service).
In attendance and accepting the awards for the soldiers honored were: Mrs. Betty Taylor; daughter of Sgt. Page, W. Curtis Fitzgerald; son of Pvt. Fitzgerald, Mrs. Jan Curry; daughter of Cpl. Greene, Angus Shaw; great nephew of Pvt. Shaw, and Thomas F. Joyner Jr.; son of Pvt. Joyner.
Also in attendance were Congresswoman Renee Ellmers, N.C. Senator Ronald Rabin, and Major General Gregory Lusk, Adjutant General of North Carolina, as well as multiple family members and key leaders from the North Carolina National Guard.
“It is fitting and proper that we honor your family members today,” said Lusk. “It is only a shame in that these honors come 95 years after their service to our country.”
Three soldiers: Greene, Fitzgerald, and Shaw were awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in France in 1918. The Purple Heart was established by General George Washington at Newburgh, New York, August 7, 1782.
All five soldiers were awarded the North Carolina World War I Service Medal, which was approved for issuance on March 10, 1919 by the North Carolina General Assembly and has been awarded to the North Carolina World War I veterans.
With the assistance of the Tharpe Robbins Company, located in Statesville, N.C., the medals were recreated to their original specifications and presented to the families of these American Heroes. Western Harnett High School JROTC supported the event with a WWI era Color Guard, alongside the “Great War Tar Heels,” a WWI re-enactors group comprised of individuals representing various branches and units from North Carolina during the Great War.
“We would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge the key role our uniformed re-enactors play in that effort,” said Lusk. “They literally bring history to life and ensure we are always cognizant of its lessons.”
Also supporting the event were “The Guardsmen,” a group comprised of soldiers from the 440th Army Band of the North Carolina National Guard.
“Their arrangement of The Star-Spangled Banner was the best I’ve ever heard,” said Mrs. Ann Butts, a descendent of Pvt. Colin Shaw.
“I am again in awe of the work of the Veterans Legacy Foundation. What great work they do,” said Lusk. “Because of their voluntary hard work and dedication to those who have come before us, honors that were delayed and forgotten turn into honors at long last bestowed.”
The Veterans’ Legacy Foundation is an organization formed by veterans, for veterans, united in an effort to research and document the legacy of veteran service and to promote the recognition and honor of that service. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in North Carolina. For more information on the Veterans Legacy Foundation, visit http://vetslegacy.org/.
| Date Taken: | 07.02.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 07.03.2013 12:01 |
| Story ID: | 109700 |
| Location: | RALEIGH, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 248 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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