MENANDS, NY-A New York Army National Guard Color Guard joins Civil War reenactors and members of the Patriot Guard, in honoring Civil War Soldier 1st Sgt. William Francis, a member of the famed 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first Black unit to fight in the Union Army. Local Civil War historians identified Francis' unmarked grave at historic Albany Rural Cemetery and arranged for the Veterans Administration to provide a new stone to mark his final resting place.
Francis, who enlisted as a private, served throughout the Civil War, including the 54th's assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina, made famous in the 1989 movie "Glory".
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Task and Purpose -- Sat, 10 Oct 2026 Pentagon raises Iran war death toll to 21 Two more service members have died in the Middle East as part of the Iran war than previously acknowledged, according to the Department of Defense. The revised death toll was revealed in updates... (more)
Spectrum News -- Sat, 10 Oct 2026 Ceremony planned for soldiers killed in Revolutionary War battle on Lake Champlain A service will be held Tuesday for Continental Army soldiers killed 250 years ago during an American Revolutionary War naval battle on Lake Champlain. This marker will be placed on the gravesite... (more)
Kingston Daily Freeman -- Sat, 10 Oct 2026 Military News: Mid-Hudson Valley Residents Earn Promotion Promotions The following area residents serving in the New York Army National Guard were promoted: * Quianna Biggs-Bullard of Marlboro, serving with 53rd Troop Command, to the rank of sergeant... (more)