Fort Concho to get fired up for July Fourth (30 June 2006)

BLOGGER'S NOTE: There is a bold word in the middle of this text. I mistakenly wrote "ordinance" instead of "ordnance." The former is a"an authoritative command or order" while the latter is "military materiel, such as weapons, ammunition, combat vehicles, and equipment."
Obviously, I meant the latter, but wrote the former and an astute reader pointed out the difference to me.

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By JOE RUIZ
jruiz@sastandardtimes.com or 659-8262

On Independence Day, San Angeloans can hear what Francis Scott Key meant in ''The Star-Spangled Banner'' verse about ''bombs bursting in air.''

The educators at Fort Concho National Historic Landmark will perform a military tradition and celebration by firing artillery rounds in a formal salute.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, a salute will be performed at the top of each hour on the fort's grounds.

Fort Concho, the city's frontier Army post in the late 1800s, has performed the salute for at least the past 10 years, said Christopher Morgan, Fort Concho's education director.

''Through the ages, militaries have always fired salutes to commemorate something,'' Morgan said. ''That's our version of fireworks.''

People seeking a preview of the artillery salutes can attend the San Angelo Symphony's Town & Country July Pops concert at 7 p.m. Monday at the Bill Aylor Sr. Memorial RiverStage. The artillery will be incorporated into the overall performance, and, if fort officials get enough historic weaponry to fire, will help perform the ''1812 Overture,'' Morgan said.

''That's the only piece of music ever written with artillery in the score,'' he said.

Replicas of field artillery used during the Civil War will be among the weapons used during the Independence Day artillery salutes, Morgan said.

Morgan said the 3-inch ordnance rifle, which will be used during the artillery salutes, was the best weapon available during the 1800s because of its design and reliability.

''Never in its service life did one ever explode when it wasn't supposed to,'' he said.