First Muster and Sendoff for Troops

The annual commemoration of the First Muster and sendoff for troops is today, Saturday, on Salem Common from 10am - 12 noon. The event will celebrate the 371st anniversary of the Salem Muster of 1637 and the founding of the National Guard, there will be a memorial service for all who served in the military, inspection of troops, cannon fire, and a deployment ceremony for those heading to Iraq.

We Commemorate the First Muster in Salem because (and this is excerpted from the Salem Maritime National Historic Site's website):

For over two hundred and twenty years, the Second Corps of Cadets has served this country with honor. Founded in 1785 as the Salem Cadets, the unit was originally an officer's training corps. Today, the Second Corps of Cadets is Battery B of the 101st Field Artillery of the Massachusetts National Guard. There are exhibits in the breezeway and in the Regional Visitor Center that highlight the history of this distinguished unit of the Massachusetts National Guard. The Regional Visitor Center is housed in the drill shed of the old Salem Armory, the former home of the Second Corps of Cadets.