CONTACT: Eric Durr, 786-4581

FOR RELEASE: Sunday, May 20, 2007

ON SITE: 1LT Eric Fritz, (585) 783-5403

WHO:

Members of the Army National Guard’s 27th Brigade Combat Team and the Army Guard’s newest Soldiers from the Syracuse Recruit Sustainment Program.

WHAT:

Dedication of the Thompson Road Armory Liberty Tree.

WHEN:

Sunday, May 20, 2007 at 11:00 a.m.

WHERE:

N.Y. State Armory, 6900 Thompson Road, Syracuse, N.Y.

Soldiers from the New York Army National Guard dedicate a “Liberty Tree” on the grounds of the armory on Thompson Road in Syracuse, N.Y. The tradition of a Liberty Tree began during America's fight for independence. Select members of the colonial militia who prepared for sudden or rapid mobilizations, known as the Minutemen, would designate a tree as a rallying point to assert their commitment to independence. The tree became known as the Liberty Tree and many of its followers known as the Sons of Liberty. The news of the Liberty Tree spread throughout the colonies where local patriots in each of the 13 colonies identified a large tree to be used as a meeting place or rallying point. In the years that followed, almost every American town had its own Liberty Tree -- a living symbol of popular support for individual liberty and resistance to tyranny. The purpose of our own modern-day Liberty Tree dedication is to further knowledge and awareness for our Soldiers and the public to foster the connection between the modern-day National Guard and its origins in the traditions of the Minuteman. A Liberty Tree dedication recalls that connection and gives today’s Citizen Soldiers and community members a visible symbol to relate to. Scheduled to join the Citizen Soldiers of the N.Y. Army National Guard will be NYS Senator John DeFrancisco (R) from the Syracuse area’s 50th District. Working journalists should have photo ID to gain admittance to the armory on Sunday. For additional information, contact Sgt. 1st Class Robert Monette at (315) 886-9425.