The first militia

Awards were given out yesterday for the JROTC by many, many military organizations. PJ received a medal and a new ribbon and I took pictures of him by the flag. He was surprised to get it, but very pleased.  

It dawns on me that OVTA should give recognition to JROTC and maybe even ROTC groups along the trail and then if we create supplemental trails as I mentioned yesterday, recognize those groups as well.  

It also dawns on me that we have National support for our National heritage story from all these Military organizations. The DAR and the SAR were at the ceremony of course. The VFW and the National Guard were there. There are more I hadn't heard of, so I will go back and ask the Colonel who they are. ( I see the DAR website has a new resource of "forgotten" patriots of Native and African ancestry. )

This reminds me to tell you a little story about the patch the National Guard wears. There is a hornet on it and leads to telling the story of Cornwallis being pestered out of Charlotte. I met a guardsmen at a speech given by Senator Broyhill at The  Patterson School in Caldwell county. (Note: Native American History at the school). The OVNHT goes right through the school grounds.  He told us that soldiers in Iraq liked to collect patches from the allies. He said the Scots particularly liked the Hornet patches because it reminds their English brothers of a "Scottish" victory over the English in America. 

They just keep rubbing it in.  I tell you its hard to have English ancestry in Western NC.