Photo By Matthew Jones | Members of the 1-108th Field Artillery, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National...... read more read more
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GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Twenty members of the 28th Infantry Division of the Pennsylvania National Guard participated in a tree-planting ceremony to honor Civil War soldiers Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015.
The project was a long-term collaborative effort called the Living Legacy Project to create a national monument to honor each person who died while fighting America’s Civil War. The goal is to plant 620,000 trees along the 180-mile Journey through Hallowed Ground National Scenic Byway.
Saturday’s ceremony involved the planting of more than 100 Rising Sun Redbuds at the Outlet Shoppes at Gettysburg by the National Guard soldiers from the 1-108th Field Artillery, 56th Stryker Brigade.
The executive officer of the 1-108th Field Artillery, Capt. Dustin Wolfgang, led the Pledge of Allegiance after addressing the crowd. Wolfgang pointed out that his unit’s predecessors fought in the Civil War to include battles in Gettysburg.
“The Hallowed Ground Living Legacy project is great opportunity to recognize our history and to participate in the tradition of honoring fellow soldiers,” Wolfgang said. “And we are truly honored to be here.”
Also speaking at the event was Congressman Scott Perry, who also serves in the Pennsylvania National Guard as the deputy commanding general of the 28th Infantry Division. Perry mentioned the significance of planting one tree for each casualty and the value of digitally tagging each tree with available information about that person.
“Although some of the soldiers we are honoring with trees today came from across the country, they fought here and they died right here, forever linking them to this very land,” Perry said. “Soon students, historians, citizens and other interested individuals will be able to find these geo-tagged trees and learn more about each individual soldier.”
Bill Sellers, president of the Living Legacy Tree-Planting Project, explained the importance of the project and this ceremony in particular.
“Of the 620,000 men who were killed during the Civil War, half of them are anonymous. We don’t know their name. We don’t know their identities,” Sellers said. “There were soldiers who died in this very area, and it’s incredibly meaningful to me.”
Patti Misener, general manager of the Outlets Shoppes at Gettysburg, said the trees would be a welcome addition to the area.
“Thank you to the great work of the service members of the Pennsylvania National Guard,” Misener said. “As stewards of this property we will cherish this distinguished honor and make sure these trees are lovingly cared for and nurtured so that they grow and bloom even more brightly as time goes on. We also promise to ensure that all of our visitors know and understand the story behind these trees and why they are here.”
| Date Taken: | 10.18.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 10.22.2015 09:15 |
| Story ID: | 179589 |
| Location: | GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 304 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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