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Historical Marker saluting NC National Guard unveils July 22

NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

A state Highway Historical Marker will be dedicated Saturday, July 22 to honor the North Carolina National Guard. George Olsen has more.

The Guard’s history dates back to 1663, when King Charles II in the Carolina Charter granted the Lord Proprietors the right to organize men for the defense of the colony. That was the inception of the North Carolina Militia. After the Spanish American War the U-S Congress passed the Militia Act of 1903, bringing all state militias under federal control, giving the President the right to call up members. At that time the North Carolina State Guard became the North Carolina National Guard, with its first encampment from July 22-to-28, 1903 on Bogue Sound west of Morehead City. An historical marker recognizing the National Guard’s service will be dedicated on Arendell Street in Morehead City, between 34th and 35th Streets. I’m George Olsen.

George Olsen is a 1977 Havelock High School graduate. He received his B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from the University of South Carolina in 1982 where he got his first taste of non-commercial radio working for their student station WUSC. After graduation he worked about five years in commercial radio before coming to work at Public Radio East where he has remained since outside of a nearly 3-year stint as jazz and operations coordinator at WUAL in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in the early 1990s. On his return to eastern North Carolina he hosted classical music for Public Radio East before moving into the Morning Edition host position and now can be heard on All Things Considered. He also hosts and produces The Sound, five hours of Americana, Roots Rock and Contemporary Folk weekday evenings on PRE Public Radio East News & Ideas, and is a news and feature producer for Public Radio East.