Saturday, June 6, 2009

Good morning! I am poking around the Park Service map to find a direct contact to counties not yet included in the National Heritage Area Study.

I have sent a couple of emails to Richmond and Scotland county. I told the chairman of the board of commissioners, I could not find direct links for history for Scotland county. Let me apologize here and now. Scotland county is history, history, history.

RG took his celtic band to play for the St. Andrews Society this year and last. He came across the fine bagpipers of St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg. There he also learned of the Scottish Heritage Center located on campus. There is a reservoir of Scottish history in America, a site to see already on the ground. So Scotland county NEEDS to be included in the NHA no doubt.

By the way, today is D-Day. Here in Virginia they are celebrating the event inviting veterans from the entire country to converge on the National D-Day Memorial. I had never heard of this National Memorial. They are in trouble financially given this economy. I'm not sure I can leave to go see it, but now that I know about it, I would like to go. One feature is the reflecting pool representing the ocean and little spurts of fountains representing the bullets at the rate and density the troops faced as the made their way to land. I think it would be quite awe-inspiring. This points out the necessity of marketing your historic site. I think it needs a better plan. Our National Heritage area could help that for Rev. War sites (so write already!!)

Here in Virginia there are veterans on the news every night. 5,000 men were lost that day. One veteran who spoke joined at age 15 by disguising his age to the recruiter. He nearly died by sinking to the bottom of the ocean with his heavy pack. Another soldier pulled off his jacket in time to rescue him. It is true that soldiers are young. They were young in the Revolution and they are young now.It makes you want to just hold on to them.

My sister-in-law's father was a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge. He died last year. I saw him after Christmas that year. He told me a little about his experience and he cried. All veterans must have a young boy locked inside. I think this would be a great day to find a veteran and give him a hug.

By the way, there is a bring a veteran to school day in November. Register at History.com Classroom.

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