Capitol Wreath Laying Aug. 2 Begins North Carolina’s World War I Centennial Commemoration | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Raleigh, N.C. - Governor Pat McCrory will launch the state's four-yearlong Centennial Commemoration of World War I at a wreath-laying ceremony at the North Carolina Veterans Monument on the grounds of the State Capitol Saturday, Aug. 2, 2014. The ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. and re-enactors will be on the State Capitol grounds throughout the day.

    The state's official commemoration is under the auspices of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.

    "North Carolina played a prominent part in our country's involvement in the war that changed the course of history forever," said Governor Pat McCrory. "We sent thousands of soldiers to combat, bravely leaving loved ones to fight for freedom abroad. The War's centennial commemoration and this ceremony present an important opportunity for North Carolinians to reflect upon the valor of those who answered their country's call 100 years ago."

    Although the United States did not formally enter the war until 1917, the first Tar Heels left North Carolina to join the French Foreign Legion 100 years ago in August 1914. However, once the United States declared war against Germany in April 1917, North Carolinians supported the war effort and rallied behind President Woodrow Wilson when he said that America was fighting for democracy in what would be called "a war to end all wars."

    "North Carolinians have always had global impact," said Susan Kluttz, Secretary of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. "On this day, we are proud to honor those who fought and gave their lives to this conflict, so we might be free."

    North Carolina sent 86,457 soldiers overseas to fight for the United States. By the end of the war, North Carolina lost 2,377 men to battlefields and disease and saw another 3,655 return home wounded.

    A procession of World War I re-enactors and others will march from the Legislative Building to the State Capitol at 9:30 a.m. The ceremony, led by Governor McCrory and Secretary Kluttz, will begin at the base of the Veterans Memorial at 10:30 a.m. Members of the General Assembly, Council of State and the state Supreme Court will participate.

    "World War I created the modern world by undermining European aristocracy, shifting national borders, industrializing warfare, and expanding the public realm of women," said Dr. Kevin Cherry, director of the North Carolina Office of Archives and History and Deputy Secretary of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. "The war also changed North Carolina and North Carolinians. Our state emerged from this first global conflict less rural, more worldly and better equipped to serve the nation through industry, military installations and shipbuilding enterprises at our ports."

    The re-enactors will remain on the Capitol grounds following the ceremony to answer questions and provide a glimpse of what life was like for those who served in the Great War. For more information on North Carolina's commemoration of World War I, visit www.ncdcr.gov/worldwar1.

• Contact: Crystal Feldman
•     govpress@nc.gov