Highway Marker Dedication Salutes the N.C. Guard

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan | North Carolina National Guard, (NCNG) and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) dedicate a historic marker in Morehead City honoring the transformation of the state militia to the modern National Guard in 1903 and in observance of the 100th anniversary of the NCNG’s deployment for World War 1. A team of NCNG Soldiers and Dr. Kevin Cherry, the deputy secretary of the NCDNCR and director of the Office of Archives, History and Parks, unveiled a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker July 22, 10 a.m. on Arendell St. between 34th and 35th Streets, Morehead City. The first training deployment after the transformation was near Bogue Sound, west of Morehead City, called Camp Rodman, July 22-28,1903.  

MOREHEAD CITY, NC, UNITED STATES

07.22.2017

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan    

North Carolina National Guard

The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) and North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) dedicated a historical marker in Morehead City honoring the Guard’s legacy at a ceremony at on Arendell St. between 34th and 35th Streets, Morehead City, July 22, 2017 as part of the NCNG observance of the 100th anniversary of their deployment for World War 1.

A team of NCNG Soldiers, including Army Col. Wes Morrison, a senior NCNG leader and the 30th Infantry Division Association's President, and Dr. Kevin Cherry, the deputy secretary of the NCDNCR and director of the Office of Archives, History and Parks, unveiled North Carolina Highway Historical that highlights the transformation of the state militia to the modern National Guard in 1903.

"These markers are one of the most visible ways to remember and honor the past," said Cherry.

The marker describes the century of change that created the modern warfighting NCNG. It documents the NCNG's first permanent encampment site, Camp Rodman, near Bogue Sound, west of Morehead City, July 22-28, 1903. This training deployment was an outgrowth of the Militia Act of 1903 that modernized the former state militias, authorized federal funds for training and mandated states to mirror the organization and equipment of the Active Army.

Several local NCNG Soldiers surrounded the marker as a color guard stood at attention with the National and state flags kept taught by a sea breeze during the ceremony.

Army Capt. Sean Daily, the NCNG's historian, thanked the NCDNCR and the 30th Infantry Division association for their efforts to preserve the NCNG's history. The 30th Infantry Division was formed from National Guard units of North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee and served with distinction in World War 1.

"We want to promote and preserve the legacy and modern history of the 30th and the North Carolina National Guard," said Morrison.

The N.C. Highway Historical Marker Program is part of the Office of Archives and History and administered by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The Highway Marker Program is a collaboration between the N.C. Departments of Natural and Cultural Resources and Transportation.

• Date Taken: 07.22.2017
• Date Posted: 07.31.2017 14:18
• Story ID: 243183
• Location: MOREHEAD CITY, NC, US