submitted by Gail Smith, Voice of a Vet
On Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the first week in August, Hoosick Falls history was made when 13 Town of Hoosick men who were killed in action in the Civil War were honored as Voice of a Vet’s Tribute Flag (Liberty) flew over the sites where these men are buried.
[private]Patriot Guard Riders New York, under the direction of Senior Ride Captain Bill Schaaf, had the honor of escorting Liberty from Albany to Gettysburg, PA, where they were met at various locations by other Patriot Guard Riders from West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, as well as National Park personnel who helped conduct the 10 ceremonies that took place. Unfortunately, as hard as we tried, no one from Voice of a Vet was able to be there to see it all play out…
Over those few days, the following Town of Hoosick men received their honor due: William A. Callan and Jedediah Varnum in Gettysburg, Charles Williams at Antietam, MD, William Sears at Harpers Ferry, VA, Charles W. Russell at Winchester National Cemetery, VA, Edson Gage and Henry C. Link at Manassas 2nd/Bull Run, Jesse T. Dunham at the Wilderness, VA, James Congdon at Spotsylvania Court House, VA, John McMahon and James Riley at Cold Harbor, VA, Robert Patterson at the Boydton Plank Road, VA, and Matthew Dwyer at Suffolk, VA.
When all was said and done, Voice of a Vet’s Tom McMartin, local flag program organizer, sent Bill Schaaf a thank you note for volunteering to coordinate escorts for Liberty to complete her Civil War cemetery journey. This is the response he received.
“What an honor you bestowed on us. We couldn’t be more humbled than to have been entrusted with this Tribute flag and to be there for those three flag raisings. After the ceremony at Harpers Ferry all three State Captains addressed the assembled and our speeches ended up becoming very emotional and unashamedly so – this meant that much to all of us. Three really good days of riding through some incredible countryside with almost perfect weather. Everyone returned safe. It is because of you and others in the Town of Hoosick that the Patriot Guard Riders were given the opportunity of a lifetime – it is we that thank you…”
The only thing I can add is our gratitude to those who made this happen. Special thanks to the Patriot Guard Riders who volunteered to take Liberty south at their own expense. We are blessed beyond measure to have these men and women involved in our veterans initiatives in Hoosick Falls. They’ll return on September 13 to escort our veterans in the parade at 11 am during our Korean War Vets Welcome Home.
Please come out and join us that day as we pay tribute to yet another era of Hoosick Falls Veterans. After the parade, there will be recognition, lunch and music. All are welcome to attend. Before Voice of a Vet is done, all of our soldiers, living and deceased, will have received a proper “Welcome Home.”
On Sunday, August 3, Liberty landed in North Carolina. Her next scheduled ceremony is on Tuesday, August 12, 2014 in honor of Jeremiah Kimball and James Acker, Union soldiers from the 169 Infantry Regiment of New York State. The program will begin at Fort Fisher and conclude at the Wilmington National Cemetery, after which the Tribute Flag will be transferred to the South Carolina PGR who will escort her to Folly Island for her next stop.
As you can see, there is a considerable amount of planning that needs to take place and red tape that needs to be cut through for connections to be made, fees to be waved and countless other things to fall into place. Please join in thanking Tom McMartin for his tireless efforts making phone calls, coordinating days and times, getting permissions, fighting fires, providing required information that is sometimes not readily available and jumping through hoops to help bring the Hoosick Falls American Flag Program to fruition.
You can stop by the Hoosick Federal Credit Union to see the updated map that shows where Liberty has flown, who has been honored and where she has yet to travel. Dates will be included for future ceremonies as details are confirmed and we will share pictures from each location as we receive them.[/private]