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Learning history for the future

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. John Gordinier
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Most have heard the phrase, "history repeats itself," however, more than 40 Airmen and Soldiers here traveled to Fort Moultrie, S.C., recently for a staff ride to learn and understand the historic battles along with mistakes that were made in order to correct them for future contingencies.

The 4th Battlefield Coordination Detachment hosted the staff ride to foster a strong sense of professionalism, camaraderie and team-building with Air Force counterparts, said Army Maj. James Greenlee, 4th BCD intelligence section.

A staff ride is a systematic preliminary study of a selected campaign, an extensive visit to the actual sites associated with that campaign and an opportunity to integrate the lessons derived from each, the major said. It links a historical event, study and actual terrain to produce battle analysis.

Upon arrival to Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island, servicemembers could see Fort Sumter across the harbor.

Any naval enemy had to travel through the channel to get to Charleston, S.C., said Major Greenlee. It's a gauntlet between military forts - Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter.

Airman 1st Class Scott Peterson, 20th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Mary Todd, 609th Air Communications Squadron and Army Maj. Dennis Malone, 4th BCD, briefed the servicemembers on the history of Sullivan's Island and Fort Moultrie from the Revolutionary War to the end of World War II.

Fort Moultrie has more than 170 years of coastal defense and battles, said Major Greenlee. In fact, the South Carolina state flag was designed from Fort Moultrie's base flag.

At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the base flag was blue with a crescent moon, said Mrs. Todd. The American forces defending the fort wore a silver crescent on their caps and the Moultrie design was one of the first American flags flown in the Southern states. The South Carolina state flag is blue with the same crescent moon along with the Palmetto tree. The tree represents the strength of Fort Moultrie through the British battles because it was originally made from Palmetto lumber, which absorbed the impact of bombardment shells before explosion.

The first battle during the start of the Revolutionary War at Fort Moultrie was won by the American forces. It was one of the first victories and it lifted the spirit of the South and America.

"Our nation's history is not always good, but it is our history," said Airman Peterson. "Slavery was a major significance on Sullivan's Island. From the late 17th Century into the 18th Century, the island was the largest trading port in North America."

More than 40 percent of all African slaves came through Sullivan's Island and more than 50 percent of all African Americans today have ancestors that passed through here, Airman Peterson said. It was the Ellis Island of slavery.

Today, there is a memorial and plaque on Sullivan's Island to commemorate the hardship African Americans endured in American society.

After everyone was educated about the 170 years of Fort Moultrie, Army Col. Kevin Felix, 4th BCD commander, stepped up to say a few words.

"This is our history, some of it is not all that pretty, which is why we do these joint professional development staff rides," he said. "We educate and learn from mistakes made in the past to help us from making the same mistakes in future contingencies as well as learning our military history."