Home ‘Forgotten Soldiers’: Retired Army Colonel to share research of local Black WWI soldiers
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‘Forgotten Soldiers’: Retired Army Colonel to share research of local Black WWI soldiers

Rebecca Barnabi
staunton
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Retired Army Col. Melissa Patrick will speak at the R.R. Smith Center in downtown Staunton on Monday, September 18 about Black soldiers who served in World War I.

The evening is hosted by the Augusta County Historical Society and the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library.

At 7 p.m., Patrick will discuss the lives and contributions of local Black soldiers who served in the first great war. She has spent many years conducting military history research with a focus on military service by women and Black Americans.

The R.R. Smith Center is at 20 S New St., Staunton, and the evening will also be available virtually via Zoom. The cost is pay-what-you-will with proceeds benefitting the Augusta County Historical Society and the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum.

Registration is available online, where donations will also be accepted.

The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum is dedicated to the study of the life of President Wilson and the times in which he lived. The Museum is at 20 N. Coalter Street, Staunton.

Founded in 1964, the Augusta County Historical Society’s mission is to study, collect, preserve, publish, educate about and promote the history of Augusta County and its communities.

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.