Saturday, October 16, 2010 11:40 am

PTHS students left to right: Debra Watson, Joshua McNeal, Ben Kohler, Patrick Lane, Travis Myers, Joyce Carruthers

The Paducah Tilghman High School Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) took to the field on October 9, attending the 20^th annual Civil War Days at Columbus Belmont State Park.  

The day began with a history tour that led the group through the civil war camps and explained the significance of the 1861 Battle of Belmont and the six ton anchor that held the great chain that stretched across the river in an attempt to control the waterway.

In the afternoon the cadets observed an actual re-enactment of a civil war skirmish on the battlefield. This was General Ulysses S. Grant’s first active engagement in the Civil War. Two of Tilghman’s cadets, Preston Roberts and Matt Riley, were registered participants in the re-enactment.

“The day was both fun and an outstanding educational experience for the cadets,” said Senior Chief Don Myers, naval science instructor at Paducah Tilghman.

The award winning Paducah Tilghman NJROTC program is in its tenth year.