Battlefield Park Memorial Day ceremony to feature General F. David Sheppard

The Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance invites the public to its annual Memorial Day Remembrance Service on Monday, May 27, 2024, at the grave of the four unknown soldiers in Battlefield Park, Fort George Road, Lake George. The site is the final resting place of soldiers who perished during the Battle of Lake George in 1755. The ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m.

Retired Army General F. David Sheppard will give the keynote address. According to an Alliance press release, General Sheppard’s military experience spanned nearly four decades beginning as a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. He is expected to connect the heroism he witnessed in the modern era with the sacrifices of 18th-century Americans who fought in the Lake George-Lake Champlain corridor. General Sheppard’s leadership roles have included service as: Deputy Adjutant General of the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs; Commanding General of the Headquarters 53rd Troop Command, New York Army National Guard; and Director of the New York State Office of Homeland Security.

“General F. David Sheppard’s career of service to our nation is on a scale that equals that of the ‘greatest generation’ of Americans who preceded us—the World War II-era veterans and civilian contributors to our national defense,” says Alliance President John DiNuzzo. “The honor and commitment to America that General Sheppard embodies are a direct link to the courage demonstrated nearly 270 years ago by the four unknown Provincial soldiers buried at Lake George Battlefield Park to whom we pay tribute during this remembrance.”

The Battlefield Park Memorial Day Ceremony will open with an Invocation by Pastor Ali Trowbridge of Caldwell Presbyterian Church. The service will include a Presentation of Colors and Wreath-laying by American Legion Post 374 and the Lake George Volunteer Fire Department, a Military Salute by re-enactors from the Fort William Henry Museum and “Taps” played by Ms. Amy Baker of the Lake George High School faculty.