Photo By Staff Sgt. Brendan Stephens | Thousands of visitors cheer during the reenactment of fighting at Shepherd’s Battery...... read more read more
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KURE BEACH, N.C. – Forty-four members of the N.C. Guard’s 1132nd Military Police Company supported state and local law enforcement during the 150th anniversary of the Second Battle of Fort Fisher. The Friends of Fort Fisher hosted over 15,000 visitors at the Fort Fisher State Historic Site. The 1132nd soldiers assisted with parking, at crosswalks and as ambassadors of good will to all who attended.
Sgt. Marla Mendiguren, a combat veteran and mother of two, worked a crosswalk with a deputy from New Hanover County.
“This is a great opportunity for us to work as military police and it is also a pure MP mission, working stateside and supporting a great cause,” said Mendiguren.
During the Civil War, Fort Fisher was vital to Wilmington and in 1865 it was the last commercial port for the Confederacy. Fort Fisher was known as the “Gibraltar of the South” and was defended by 1,900 Confederate soldiers. It received the world’s largest three day naval bombardment prior to an assault by 9,632 Union soldiers.
First Lt. Ashley Beausejour, the officer in charge of the soldiers on site, commented on the educational value of the event stating, “It was definitely a learning experience for us, not only did we get to complete our mission, we also got to experience a lot of what is around here at Fort Fisher.”
The crowd was drawn to the approximately 800 re-enactors that participated in a demonstration of the assault on Shepherd’s Battery. This all volunteer group fired period correct rifles and cannons during a mock battle. The brief reenactment was historically accurate.
Many of the re-enactors are former military members but some like Sgt. 1st Class David McCray still serve. McCray is a medic and full time technician in the North Carolina National Guard. He was at the event with his son who is also a re-enactor.
McCray began participating in historic events in 2004 after he returned home from a deployment to Iraq. He stated that “We enjoy the time we have together, bonding as father and son, do a little history and teach a little bit.”
The Fort Fisher State Historic Site and the Friends of Fort Fisher coordinated and promoted this successful event. Retired Brig. Gen. Jim Carper is a former North Carolina National Guard member and active member of the Friends of Fort Fisher. He invited the 1132nd Military Police to the event.
“I would like to thank the 1132nd MP Company in participating, because they have a difficult job of managing 10,000 cars down here on one road and finding parking, so we really appreciate it,” said Carper.
| Date Taken: | 01.17.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 01.20.2015 15:05 |
| Story ID: | 152307 |
| Location: | KURE BEACH, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 164 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NCNG Military Police support historic event at Fort Fisher, by Maj. Matthew Boyle, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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