E
d DeNeale donned the authentic Civil War Confederate uniform. The heavy boiled gray wool with yellow piping was tight and hot under the oppressive summer sun. Brass buttons fastened down the front. Black polished boots with spurs completed the cavalryman’s uniform. On his belt was his saber, a canteen, bowie knife and other equipment. As a cavalryman, he had two pistols and a rifle holster on his saddle. The battlefield was strewn with canvas tent encampments and dotted with campfires. The sounds of fife and drum and the booms of gunfire were heard in the distance. Militants milled about, resting from recent battles. In his uniform, Ed shared stories of sitting on his horse on the Gettysburg battlefield as an actor prepared to reenact the Civil War battle that happened in July of 1863. This is a part he has also played on the Antietam Battlefield. With deep roots in United States soil, Ed is proud to share the story of his heritage. Ed DeNeale’s ancestors stepped off the boat, The Nassau, on Feb. 4, 1701, and onto the shores of the new colony, Virginia. Relying on sails and wind, the journey across the Atlantic Ocean could take as little as six weeks and as long as several months. The DeNeale’s made their way to Richmond and ultimately to Fauquier County in the pursuit of land and freedom from Huguenot persecution in Scotland. From that day nearly 320 years ago, the DeNeales have protected the freedoms written by our forefathers of this great nation.
The DeNeale’s Family Story is the Story of Our Nation In recognition of Veteran’s Day By Aimée O’Grady
Ed knows firsthand about protecting freedom. He spent a total of nine years as a tanker in Germany and served in Vietnam for three years. While in Vietnam, he made the commitment to serve with his company, to fight beside those men, and to return home with those men. And return home they did, “We were all injured, but we each made it home,” he shares. It was November 5, 1969, when Ed, only 21-years-old, took the lives of three Viet Cong in South Vietnam. For more than 50 years, he remembers these men each November. Their images haunt his dreams and fill his mind. “I don’t know if I believe in ghosts,” Ed says, “But every November 5th, I see those boys.” Ed would not hesitate to answer the call if asked to pick up arms again in defense of this nation. “I would defend any man or woman who needed defending,” says DeNeale. Afterall, it is what the DeNeale’s do. They answer the call.
Heather Seal Licensed Esthetician
Fauquier’s Most Experienced Dermatologist Emily M. Miller, PA-C
HydraFacials • Chemical Peels Facials • Infini Skin Tightening Laser Hair Removal Medical Ear Piercing • Dermaplaning
and more!
360 Church Street • Warrenton, VA 20186 540.347.2020 • • MedSpa360: 540.347.SKIN 10
OCTOBER 2019
