TodayTuskegee Airmen joining Army Heritage Day
The celebration also highlights the 250th anniversary of Carlisle Barracks.
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Re-enactors prepare to fire an antique cannon.(Sentinel file photo)
Another re-enactor discusses military history at last year’s Army Heritage Day celebration. The event will be held all day on May 19 at the Army Heritage and Education Center along Army Heritage Drive in Middlesex Township.(Sentinel file photo)
Two veterans of the World War II Army Air Corps unit known as the Tuskegee Airmen will talk with visitors attending Army Heritage Day at the Army Heritage and Education Center, Army Heritage Drive.
Army Heritage Day takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 19 and will highlight the 250th anniversary of Carlisle Barracks and the opening of the completed World War II area at the Army Heritage Trail. It is free and open to the public and refreshments will be available for purchase.
Tuskegee Airmen Henry L. Moore, who was a staff sergeant, and Dr. Eugene J. Richardson, who was a second lieutenant, will share their experiences with the public throughout the day at the World War II area.
John Giblin, director of Visitors and Education Center, says the airmen are “part of the American fabric.”
He says Saturday’s event is four times as large as a similar event last spring on the AHEC grounds.
An estimated 150 re-enactors from more than 40 different units will represent many eras in American military history, beginning with the French and Indian War.
“It’s an opportunity to experience the culture of the Army in all facets,” Giblin says.
Seventeen mounted cavalry re-enactors from the 2nd U.S. Volunteer Cavalry are expected to demonstrate mounted cavalry operations at 1 p.m. at Traditions Field.
A Jeep ambulance from the Korean War era will be on exhibit, Giblin says.
A helicopter exhibit will feature a Huey, a Blackhawk and an Apache helicopter.
“You’re looking at about 40 years of helicopter history,” Giblin says.
Huey helicopters were first used in combat in Vietnam during the early 1960s.
“Blackhawk and Apache are in current service,” Giblin says.
Re-enactors from the 60th Royal American Regiment will be on hand. The regiment, under the command of Col. John Stanwix, established what is now known as Carlisle Barracks in May 1757.
“The British instructed Stanwix to create a fortified camp at Carlisle,” Giblin explains.
Flag-raising ceremony
A flag-raising to commemorate the 250th anniversary takes place at noon at the Redoubt 10 replica on the trail.
A talk about the history of Carlisle Barracks by Richard Sommers, chief of patron services at the Military History Institute, takes place at 10:15 a.m. in the Ridgway Hall patron reading room.
It’s also the site of a 3 p.m. talk by Flint Whitlock called “Secrets of a Military Historian,” which explains how research is conducted at the Military History Institute — a big part of the history of Carlisle Barracks.
The World War II area now includes two barracks, a mess hall, a chapel, a motor pool with a World War II truck inside and a guard house. Visitors can meet with a World War II Army nurse as she prepares her belongs for service overseas.
A little farther on the trail, World War I soldiers will work on the trenches of Mont Sec. The trenches eventually will include machine gun positions, mortar positions and a command post, says Capt. Shane Reilly.
A book sale by the Friends of the Omar Bradley Foundation takes place inside Ridgway Hall from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Used books are donated by the public and sold to support the MHI library.
For more information call AHEC at 245-4491 or check the Web site at www.usahec.com.
