On 22 June, A VCASNY howitzer fired off the signal to begin the Tunnel to Towers Foundation Invitational at Liberty National Golf Club. The first annual event is a fundraiser that allows the foundation to build custom smart homes for catastrophically injured service members. Members of the VCASNY and the U.S. Army Reserve NEMARSG (Fort Wadsworth) had a photo opportunity with some of our wounded service members and the Honorable Rudolph Giuliani.
The 353rd Civil Affairs Command hosted a HHC change of command and retiree ceremony at Ft. Wadsworth, New York on June 13, 2015. The Veteran Corps of Artillery, State of New York, provided a ceremonial firing battery for the event.
The USS San Antonio receives an 11-gun salute as it makes its way under the Verrazano Bridge and into the New York Harbor during Fort Hamilton’s annual Salute to Ships May 20.
Getting ready for the big July 4th event takes coordination, patience and lots of caution. Our thanks once again to the 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery for always been willing to provide a hand, and helping us with the movements of the howitzers. Here is a short video from early morning until the firing. Check out the Cubs Scouts at the end of the line 🙂
New York went through a category 3 (well almost) hurricane this past weekend. Subway’s and other public transportation were shutdown, Broadway shows did NOT go on, and flooding occurred in certain areas; however, over at Arlington National Cemetery, the Old Guard performed their duty as they do everyday. Go to this link Still Vigilant for the full story.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA8RhmzB_v0]Every year, The Veteran Corp of Artillery of the State of New York, holds its’ Annual Salute to the Nation in Battery Park, NYC. The event begins with a march from Castle Clinton and a flag raising ceremony. The highlight of the event for spectators and tourists is the 50 gun salute, with each firing volley executing after each state is named. Be with us next year for the 4th. The VCA is a federally and state recognized military organization founded in 1790.
U.S. Soldiers and military representatives from allied countries attend the memorial commemorating the 61st anniversary of the Korean War. Often referred to as the “Forgotten War”, the war took the lives of 33,000 American Soldiers and wounded nearly 100,000.
On Friday, January 8, 2011 COL Charles C. Lucas, Commandant of the Veteran Corps of Artillery-State of New York presented CPT Morten Marott of the Royal Danish Army Reserves Queen’s Artillery Regiment with an Honorary Membership in the Veteran Corps of Artillery-State of New York. The presentation was made at the 221st Annual VCA Mess Dinner held at Noble House in Lower Manhattan. Noble House is a historical building in what is NYC’s historical district and home to other historical buildings such as Fraunces Tavern. In addition to the presentation of the honorary membership to CPT Marott the VCA was honored to have as guest speakers for the evening, David Rohde and his wife Kristen Mulhivill.
CPT Morten Marott of the Royal Danish Army Reserves Queen’s Artillery Regiment is a highly decorated Danish Military officer with extensive experience both domestically and internationally. Internationally, he served in Croatia in 1995 with the United Nations Peace Keeping Forces (UNPROFOR) as Captain, Liaison Officer and Operations Officer of the Danish UN Battalion. In August, 1995, while in the war zone in Croatia, CPT Marott successfully led a group of eleven other stranded UN peacekeepers through the ordeals of the hotspot of the conflict during the week-long Croatian attack on and bombardment of the area. During his service with the United Nations Peace Keeping Forces (UNPROFOR) CPT Marott conducted several negotiations with armed Croatian and Serbian commanders and war lords.
Domestically, in Denmark, CPT Marott was Commander of an Air Defense Missile Battery mobilization unit in the Royal Danish Army Reserves Queen’s Artillery Regiment. As Commander, CPT Marott was responsible for seventy two troops including six other officers and a large inventory of weapons, vehicles and high tech equipment.
Mr. David Rohde's receiving Honorary Membership Vice Commandant MAJ. Stephen RyanKristen Mulvihill & David Rohde
The evening’s guest speaker, David Rohde, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for his work on the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia and covering Afghanistan and Pakistan, is a War Correspondent and author. He has covered the war in Afghanistan for the New York Times since 2001. In November 2008, en route to meet with a well-known al-Qaeda commander at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan, Rohde was kidnapped. He was eventually taken over the border into a stronghold in the mountains of Pakistan. While in captivity, as you might expect, Rhode had the opportunity to converse with his captors often. Those talks helped him develop a strong understanding of his captors’ political positions and their thinking. Held by the Taliban in hopes of reaping major ransom money, they nicknamed Rohde “Golden Rooster.” It took him and his interpreter seven months to engineer their daring escape. Rohde shared his experiences as a captive of the Taliban, how he maintained his edge during seven months in captivity and the details of his escape with the VCA Mess Dinner guests. Rhode’s book, A Rope and A Prayer, written with his wife, Kristen Mulvihill, delves into that harrowing experience in great detail.
The Veteran Corps of Artillery, State of New York, is the senior active military unit in the Empire State. It was originally raised in 1790 to defend the harbor of New York City. Although today, its duties are largely ceremonial, it continues to provide a firing battery for the annual salute to the nation held on the 4th of July at Battery Park in New York City. Additional information about the storied past and current activities of the VCA is available at: blog.vcasny.org and www.vca1790.org.
Army Spc. Kyle Graff and Staff Sgt. Ronald Feaser fire an M119A2 105mm howitzer during platoon evaluations on Fort Bragg, N.C., June 15, 2011. Graff and Feaser are artillerymen assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division’s 3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. Is this a great photo?
