Veterans Day event highlights OFN's role in WWI

Old Fort Niagara's role in the first World War will be the topic of a special Veterans Day program at the Fort Niagara Officers Club. The program begins at 2 p.m. Tuesday with an overview of the fort's physical plant during 1917-18.

A PowerPoint presentation will illustrate the fort's layout and many of the structures that stood during the U.S. involvement in the Great War. Special focus will be given to the Reserve Officers Training Corps camps at the fort in 1917. In that year, ROTC candidates dug an intricate system of European-style trenches at what is now the beach area of Fort Niagara State Park. They trained in modern battlefield tactics, signaling, map-making and other areas of military science.

The program will include images of the training camps accompanied by writings from the men who took part in the exercises. Following the presentation, there will be a walking tour of the state park to view the areas illustrated in the presentation. Visitors will be able to view displays of World War I photos and memorabilia. The program is free to attend.