Our Saugerties Veterans

The Veterans of Saugerties from the Esopos Indian wars to those coming home today

The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.

The United States Congress created the Veterans History Project in 2000. The authorizing legislation (Public Law 106-380), sponsored by Representatives Ron Kind, Amo Houghton, and Steny Hoyer in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senators Max Cleland and Chuck Hagel in the U.S. Senate, received unanimous support and was signed into law by President William Jefferson Clinton on October 27, 2000.

Interviewer:William Payne Affiliation/Organization:American Legion, Lamouree-Hackett Post 72

Mark Robert Warnecke

Having enlisted in the regular Army just as the Vietnam War was coming to an end, Mark Warnecke would not see his first combat until Operation Iraqi Freedom. As the commander of a New York National Guard Infantry Battalion, Warnecke is able to compare and contrast the role of the National Guard to that of the active duty Army. Some experiences, such as seeing boys become men in the face of combat, are universal. Warnecke saw the greatest difference in the skill sets which those in his battalion brought to their National Guard duty from their civilian life. He could draw on their diverse occupations, from prison guards to mechanics and electricians, to get the job done. Warnecke finds great satisfaction in knowing that the current conflict has demonstrated the ability of the National Guard to perform just as well, if not better, than their active duty counterparts.