Sunday, November 11, 2018, 02:00pm
To Friday, November 30, 2018

About The Event

This program will remember the eighteen soldiers from Morgan County, Alabama, killed in France in 1918 (during WWI) who were recognized by the French government. In 1920, two years after their deaths, His Excellency Raymond Landry Poincare, on behalf of the Republic of France, awarded a Memorial Certificate to the families of those eighteen soldiers. The French Government sent the awards to the United State of America War Department, who forwarded the awards to the Morgan County American Legion. Once in Decatur, the awards were segregated by race and two separate services were held: one for the white soldiers and another one for the men of color.

On November 11, 2018 there will be an integrate ceremony recognizing all eighteen soldiers together, black and white alike. Descendants of the honored soldiers (listed in a 1920 edition of The Albany-Decatur Daily newspaper) will be invited to attend in the stead of their ancestors. This event will honor the surviving relatives and descendants of the soldiers and celebrate the coming together of our community as one. City, county and state leaders will participate in the ceremony and everyone is invited to attend the free program. 

Contact : Rhonda or Stephanie, Decatur Public Library's Marketing and Outreach Office, [256] 353 2993, ext. 106 or stephrhonda@dec
Category: Commemoration & Memorial Events, Alabama