Veterans Day Service to be held on Monday, November 11th at 11:00 AM at Fork Union Military Academy

FORK UNION, Va., Nov. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Corps of Cadets of Fork Union Military Academy invite the public to join them on campus on Sunday, November 11th, at 11:00 AM in front of the Veterans Memorial near the front gate to honor our nation's veterans and those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in their service to our nation in the armed forces. The cadets are proud 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.

The public is invited to take part in this service and lunch will be served in the Estes Dining Hall following the ceremony.

The Veterans Memorial that stands on the front of campus is a lasting monument to past Fork Union 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.

On prominent display atop the school's Veterans 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.

SOURCE Fork Union Military Academy