Fort William Henry held its annual Veterans Day ceremony on the hotel lawn Friday morning with French and Indian War reenactors firing a 21-musket salute at the 11th hour. The ceremony was held beside the Field of Flags, a tradition that began in 2016 when the museum began collecting the names of veterans from visitors and attaching them to American flags for a Veterans Day display.
Claudia Braymer, on behalf of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, presented a Veterans Day proclamation thanking the Fort for recognizing and honoring local veterans with the Field of Flags. Following the ceremony, the Fort William Henry Hotel held a lunch buffet to benefit Adirondack Vet House.
The Field of Flags has grown from 53 flags, the number placed in 2016, to more than 9,000 this year, one for each veteran honored, as visitors continue to add names of veterans they know to the list. The names are sorted on large placards sorted by military branch, then by era of service. Anyone wishing to add a veteran’s name for future displays may do so by sending the veteran’s first and last name, rank, military branch, and period of service to Anna Arkins, Collections Manager, at annaa@fortwilliamhenry.com.
Fort William Henry Veterans Day 2022 Field of Flags
Feature photo: Fort William Henry Museum Director Lindsay Doyle speaks at the Fort’s Veterans Day 2022 ceremony at the Field of Flags.