Each November 11th, Americans pause to commemorate the sacrifices our military men and women have made for our country. Downtown Greenville offers many opportunities to honor our vets. The first event is a Veterans’ Day Celebration which will take place at 6PM on Friday, November 11 at the Greenville Vietnam Memorial in Cleveland Park. This special outdoor ceremony will honor all branches of the military and veterans of several wars.
Saturday’s events honoring our military service people will begin with The Children’s Museum’s “Salute to Military Families” at 10AM. This special program will teach children the very special role families play in supporting our military. Just a few yards from TCM, is the Upcountry History Museum, who will be honoring our veterans with not just one, but two days of special events, with special tribute given to veterans of the Korean Conflict. The weekend’s activities will include special exhibits of military items from private collections, including personal items that belonged to Gen. Douglass MacArthur (on loan from the MacArthur Museum) as well as continuous screenings of the award-winning documentary, “Threads of Victory” and special children’s activities including a take home “Victory Garden”. Saturday’s events, which begin at 10AM, will showcase the talents of the Carolina Youth Symphony and their musical “Tribute to the Troops”, offer special insights of the Korean Conflict and give visitors the opportunity to explore the GI Bill’s impact on returning vets and SC football with educator, Heather Yenco. Sunday’s events begin at 1PM and include a screening of “Pork Chop Hill’ with an introduction by military historian, Jack Green…as well as complimentary popcorn & sodas! The museum is open until 5PM both days.
Also on Saturday, our local hockey team, the Greenville Road Warriors, will pay tribute to our military personnel with their “Thank You Military” night. Active military service people and veterans can see the Road Warriors take on the South Carolina Stingrays (at 7PM) for the special price of $6 – just show your military ID at the box office to receive your discount tickets. But that’s not all! For the 2nd year, the Road Warriors are partnering with Greenville area Blue Star Mothers to gather donations to send to troops overseas. Fans are asked to bring individual packets of powdered drink mix, beef jerky, prepaid iTunes cards, hand & foot warmers and/or monetary donations to cover the $12 cost of sending each of these care packages. Special guests of the Road Warriors for this special night include Simpsonville native, Edie Melson, author of “Fighting Fear: Winning the War at Home When Your Soldier Leaves for Battle”, who will be selling and signing copies of her book at the game, and Colonel Mindy Williams, Assistant Chief of Staff G-1, 4th Marine Forces Reserve, who will participate in the ceremonial puck drop.
No Veterans’ Day Celebration in Downtown Greenville would be complete without visiting the American Legion War Museum, located at the American Legion Post #3 on the corner of Main and Academy (look for the “big gun”). South Carolina’s role in every conflict from the Revolutionary War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are showcased with exhibits of maps, photographs, weaponry and uniforms, many of which are personal effects from Greenville natives. Tours are led by veterans whose personal insights and fascinating accounts bring the exhibits to life.
But no matter how you choose spend this weekend, take a moment to tell a veteran or a member of the military (and their families) “Thank You” for their service.
For More info, visit:
Greenville Vietnam Memorial: http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=16124
The Children’s Museum: http://www.tcmupstate.org
The Upcountry History Museum: http://www.upcountryhistory.org
Greenville Road Warriors: http://www.greenvilleroadwarriors.com
American Legion War Museum: www.americanlegion3warmuseum.com
While Downtown, you may also want to visit:
Springwood Cemetery: Located at the corner of Main and Elford, Greenville’s oldest public cemetery contains the graves of several unknown Confederate soldiers, soldiers who died at Camp Sevier (Greenville’s WWI training camp), and veterans of several wars from the War of 1812 to the Gulf War.
Richland Cemetery: Located near Stone Avenue, this cemetery is Greenville’s oldest African American cemetery and is the final resting place for many prominent Greenville African-Americans, including veterans from the Spanish-American War, WWI & II. Korea and Vietnam.
Lincoln Veteran’s Cemetery: Located on Rutherford Road, this small cemetery contains the gravesites of over 300 veterans of both World Wars and the Korean Conflict. The cemetery is maintained by volunteers from the American Legion.
Greenville Cultural Exchange Center: Located at 700 Arlington Avenue, the unique museum showcases the history and contributions of Greenville’s African American community. Museum curator, Ms. Ruth Ann Butler, is a wealth of information.
Major Rudoplh Anderson Memorial: Located in Cleveland Park, the F-86 Saber Jet is a tribute to the memory of Major Rudolph Anderson, Greenville native and the only American casualty of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Museum and Library of Confederate History: Located at 15 Boyce Avenue, this museum contains an extensive collection of Antebellum and Civil War era clothing, uniforms, maps, weaponry and photographs
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