After the surrender of Charleston on May 12, 1780, there was only one organized Patriot formation left in SC.
 
 These men were located in Waxhaws along the SC/NC border.

Tarleton led his cavalry in a charge against these patriots on May 29, 1780.  The Patriot formation broke so the Patriots had to surrender.  After a surrender, the victorious side should  give quarter which means to act civil and take the defeated soldiers as prisoners and treat them humanely.  Banistre Tarleton and his men did not give quarter.  They shot the defeated Patriots after their surrender.  "Tarleton's Quarter" became known as a brutal death at the hands of a cowardly foe.

The Patriots used Tarleton's tactics against him.  They used his brutality to rally Carolinians against the British army and toward the Patriot Cause.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday celebrated in the US to remember those who died while serving in the armed services.  This holiday is always celebrated on the last Monday in May.  Memorial Day was first celebrated after the American Civil War to honor the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the war, and was originally called Decoration Day.

Today, many people visit cemeteries and memorials to honor those who died while in service, and volunteers  place flags on each grave in national cemeteries.

Memorial Day should not be confused with Veterans Day.
Memorial Day is a day that is set aside to remember the men and women who died while in service to our country.
Veterans Day is a day that is set aside to celebrate the service of all US military veterans.

Today, as part of our Blended Learning Program, Cindy Clark and Melissa Buchanan took students on a virtual field trip through our Vietnam Experience exhibit.

Students from around the state of South Carolina could watch the lesson in their classrooms and send in questions via email.  Their questions were answered live as they came in to the studio.

Cindy and Melissa are pictured above in a Vietnam era tank.  This tank's nickname is Duster because it stirred up a lot of dust on the roads in Vietnam.

As you can see, our dynamic duo is "dusting" the Duster!

Richard Overton celebrated his 109th birthday today.  The WWII veteran was born on May 11, 1906, in Texas.

He served with the all-black 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion.  During his years of service, from 1942-45, he made stops in Hawaii, Guam, Palau, and Iwo Jima. He did reach the rank of sergeant during his service.

Mr. Overton's friends and family gave him a party last week and over 100 people attended.   Burgers, fries and shakes were on the menu, YUM!

Mr. Overton likes to stay busy helping out around the house with different types of yard work.  He doesn't watch television because he wants to keep moving so that he doesn't get stiff.

President Ronald Reagan recognized the importance of spouse commitment to the readiness and well-being of military members.  President Reagan declared the first Military Spouse Appreciation Day on May, 23, 1984.

The US Secretary of Defense, Caspar Weinberger, later declared that the Friday preceding Mother's Day would be known as Military Spouse Day.

If you know a military spouse, give them a BIG Thank You.

In 1999, Congress designated May as National Military Appreciation month.  May was chosen because of all the days that are already set aside to commemorate the achievements of our military.

Memorial Day is the only federal holiday in May and is celebrated on the last Monday of this month.

This formal legislation shows our service members that their country has set aside an entire month to honor, remember, and appreciate them.