Honoring the U.S. Army: Lebanon to celebrate 250th commemoration
The commemoration will be held Saturday at the War Office, 149 West Town Street, Lebanon.
The First Congregational Church bells, designed by Colonel John Trumbull, painter of the American Revolution, will ring 13 times for the 13 American colonies at 1 p.m. to start the ceremony.
The ceremony is open to the public and is being held by the Sons of the American Revolution. There will also be a National SAR special grave marking ceremony at the tomb of General George Washington, as Commander-in-Chief, at Mount Vernon.
'It's a very important day in U.S. history,' said Todd Gerlander, chairman of the CTSSAR Historic Sites & Celebrations-America 250 Committee. 'This was the start of the United States Army, with the creation of the Continental Army on June 14, 1775.'
The day after, General George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief. The Continental Army would go on to defeat the British during the American Revolution.
'All of our 250th anniversary celebrations are a little bit different, depending on the historical event we're commemorating,' Gerlander said. 'We will have a speaker on the Continental Army (he will also be dressed as a Continental soldier), and we will have a modern U.S. Army soldier to compare and contrast.'
There will also be a display of the Continental soldiers inside the war office.
As June 14 also marks Flag Day, an outdoor flag display will be on display, weather permitting.
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