FORT SILL — Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill will host a Fourth of July observance at noon July 4 in front of McNair Hall on the Army post.
Under an 1890 regulation issued by the U.S. Department of War, the Fort Sill Salute Battery will commemorate Independence Day by executing the Salute to the Union, consisting of firing one round for every state of the United States. Annually since 1959 the salute is fired every year at noon on U.S. Independence Day.
“In 1775, armed conflict between the American colonists and British soldiers first broke out, more than a year before we declared our independence. So, your Army is a year older than the nation it defends,” said Maj. Gen. Kenneth L. Kamper, Fort Sill’s commanding general.
“It is difficult not to think about our nation’s independence without also thinking about the Army which secured it. As we reflect on our country’s 246th birthday, let us also reflect on the strength of those early patriots. Their fighting spirit and selfless service is carried on today in the hearts and minds of our Army Soldiers, their families, and Department of the Army civilians.”