As Chairman of the Fort Hawkins Commission, I would like to welcome you to the 5th Annual Fort Hawkins Veterans Day Salute at the very location where the first veterans served in Middle Georgia at this 200 year old U.S. Army Fort & Factory, perched on the southwestern frontier of America in 1806. Some of the soldiers serving at Fort Hawkins were barely teenagers and some were veterans of the American Revolution – like the fort’s namesake, Col. Benjamin Hawkins, who served on Gen. Washington’s Revolutionary Army Staff and who therefore is one of America’s very first veterans. The Fort Hawkins Commission would like to thank the many patriotic and veterans groups represented here today for this official U.S. Flag Retirement Ceremony. Your participation connects the fort’s distinguished heritage to all the veterans of our great nation on this special day to honor all American veterans. We would ask all veterans attending today to raise there hands, and I would like to recognize on the front row, PFC Wright, who served in the Pacific Theater in WWII and helped build the Burma Road. We should also recognize that the 48th Brigade of the Georgia National Guard is represented today and we thank them for their past and future U.S. Army support at Fort Hawkins. We are also proud to have future American veterans participate today with the Northeast High School Junior ROTC Cadets and Honor Guard and we thank the Cadre Senior Army Instructor, Lt. Col. Ray Hill for allowing their participation. However, we must particularly thank the Nathaniel Macon Chapter of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution for keeping Fort Hawkins on Macon’s mind from the handsome Blockhouse Replica standing before you to this very patriotic program today. Without them, we truly would not be here today, so here is a special thank you to their Regent, and dedicated Fort Hawkins Commission member, Sandra Adams, for today’s distinguished Flag Retirement Ceremony. After our brief but moving Ceremony, we invite you to enjoy a light reception inside the Blockhouse Replica and to tour all three floors of the Blockhouse as well as the archaeological dig site. Thank you all for attending today’s event and for supporting historic Fort Hawkins. God Bless and God Bless America’s Veterans!
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