Our cadet-led Veterans Day Service will be held on Friday, November 11th, at 11:00 AM at the Veterans Memorial on the campus of Fork Union Military Academy. The featured speaker at this event will be our own CSM Glenn Sidwell, a decorated US Army veteran who served multiple tours in Vietnam.
The Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month
This is the first time in recent memory that we've been able to celebrate Veterans Day, originally known as Armistice Day, at this traditional time – the Eleventh Hour on the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month the year. This marks the moment the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany began, with the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front officially taking effect at 11:00 AM on November 11th in 1918.
Veterans Memorial
The Veterans Memorial that stands on the front of campus is a lasting monument to former FUMA cadets who gave their lives in service to our nation. It was dedicated on October 17, 1998 during FUMA’s 100th Anniversary Celebration. Each year on Veterans Day, and during a memorial service on Alumni Weekend, friends, family, and the community gather with the Corps of Cadets at this special monument to pay their respects to those fallen heroes who have fought for our freedom and our country. During the original dedication service in October 1998, forty-eight names were honored on the wall. Today, there are 57 names of FUMA alumni who died in service to our nation inscribed on the wall.
WWI-era 4.7-inch Field Gun
On prominent display atop our Veternas Memorial can be found a rather imposing cannon, itself a veteran of World War One. This large artillery piece is a Model 1906 4.7-inch Field Gun. This gun, originally designed in 1906 (as the name implies with subsequent Model 1907 and Model 1908 offering some minor improvements), is an example of one of the early guns with which the United States entered World War I. The field gun was capable of firing a 60-pound projectile, 4.7-inches in diameter, at a speed of 1,700 feet per second out to a range of about seven miles.
This gun is relatively rare today, as no more than 200 were produced. The 4.7-inch field gun was replaced by a newer 4.5-inch design in the late 1930s, just prior to World War II. A number of these World War I era cannons were donated by the U. S. Army to American Legion Posts across the nation in the mid-1930s. This particular field gun was then donated to Fork Union Military Academy in 1937 by American Legion Post #140, through the efforts of the post's commander, Hunter G. Bransford. The field gun was originally placed at the south end of the Middle School Circle where it remained for the next six decades. In 1998, through the generosity and hard work of Mr. William Reiser, Jr., FUMA Class of 1952, this artillery piece was completely and painstakingly restored and moved to its current place of honor above the stone memorial wall.
First Virginian Awarded the Medal of Honor
Another Fork Union Military Academy alumnus we remember this day is the first Virginian to be awarded the Medal of Honor, a hero of the First World War who was fortunate to return safely home to his family. Earl Davis “Foots” Gregory, born in Powhatan County, came to Fork Union Military Academy at age fourteen and graduated with the Class of 1915 as a lieutenant of “B” Company. He joined the Virginia National Guard and after graduating from FUMA he went on to fight in World War I. When his unit came under heavy machine gun fire, Sergeant Gregory said “I will get them,” and he advanced toward the enemy position. On his own, armed only with a rifle and a mortar shell he used as a hand grenade, Sergeant Gregory captured the machine gun nest, a howitzer, and 22 German soldiers. He became the first Virginian to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. After his return from the war, he attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute, now known as Virginia Tech, graduating in 1923. Virginia Tech’s precision military marching unit of the Corps of Cadets is named The Gregory Guard in his honor.
We Invite the Public to Join Us in Honoring All Our Veterans
We honor all our alumni and members of our community who have served in our nation's armed forces, all of whom have sacrificed for the good of us all. Some gave all, but all gave some, and for this we are eternally grateful.
We invite all members of the public to join us for this special community ceremony to honor our veterans.