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Members of Celebrate Freedom Foundation and soldiers of 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment help assemble Vietnam War era fire base and field hospital Wednesday ahead of Thunder at Ft. Jackson to be held on Armed Forces Day, Saturday May 17. Admission is free to the all day affair which will feature military displays and living history events.
Fort Jackson events to educate public, honor those who have served nation
For years, veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars have lived in the shadow of World War II.
On Saturday, the public has a chance to learn a little more about those wars during the Celebrate Freedom Festival and Armed Forces Day event at Fort Jackson.
The fort’s parade field will be turned into a Vietnam War fire base with guard towers and artillery canons, said Jack Lovelady, president of the Celebrate Freedom Foundation. And Korean War era helicopters will re-enact the famous opening to the TV show M.A.S.H. as a salute to the Korean War.
“This helps bring back memories of their service and will help educate future generations,” Lovelady said. “We’ve been so successful with that with World War II veterans.”
Events run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Fort Jackson.
The Celebrate Freedom Festival started several years ago as an air show at Owens Field. The festival has evolved, but its mission has remained the same: to educate. This will be the event’s second year at Fort Jackson, which will sponsor activities as part of its Armed Forces Day recognition.
Fort Jackson’s participation includes a mass swearing-in ceremony for soldiers. Also, the Green Beret parachute team will deliver the U.S. flag for opening ceremonies.
The event will include flyovers by military aircraft, but there will not be acrobatic displays, said Kenneth Breivik of Nehemiah Communications, which is publicizing the event.
“We’ve got an emphasis this year on helicopters,” he said.
Along with the Vietnam and Korean war re-enactments, the Celebrate Freedom Festival will feature the Buffalo Soldiers of the 8th and 9th Cavalry. The units, made up of former slaves and black Civil War veterans, escorted settlers during the country’s westward expansion and fought in several U.S. military campaigns throughout history. These re-enactors will ride horses, Lovelady said.
“Our whole intent is to honor these folks who have made sacrifices so the general public can know what it takes to make our country free.”
Reach Phillips at (803) 771-8307.
