A Passion that becomes a multi-decade service to the NPS

Sailor Jerry talking to visitors.

NPS

I’m proud to have had some role in each of these mission aspects at Fort McHenry.

Sailor Jerry is one of our longest serving volunteers. Jerry is very passionate and was inspired to help the NPS by volunteering. He told us all about how he found the place that gave him exactly what he was looking for and more. We invited him to share his perspectives on the park:

Why did you start volunteering for the site?

In 2003 I was recruited by NPS ranger Vince Vaise with whom I was acquainted socially. I’d always been interested in history and was willing to give living history a try. I never anticipated a “career” now surpassing twenty years.

What does the NPS mission mean to you?

Ultimately, NPS is in the business of caring for the nation’s natural and historic treasures and doing the maximum it can to promote the public’s ability to access, enjoy, and understand their significance and value. I’m proud to have had some role in each of these mission aspects at Fort McHenry.

Do you see yourself in the stories at the site?

Very much so. In my living history role, I am one of the sailors who defended the fort and the city, manning the naval “great guns” on the fort’s water batteries. The battle was a seminal and dramatic event, as Francis Scott Key well-perceived. I (and others) share that story of the British attack and our defense with visitors from a first-person, hands-on, intensely felt perspective.

Why do you think people should volunteer for the National Park Service?

The NPS needs volunteer resources to maximize the value of its sites for the benefit of the public. Volunteers have the satisfaction of interaction with an appreciative public. For those curious regarding greater detail and understanding of a site’s history, volunteering provides ongoing exposure to knowledgeable people and information.

What has been your most enjoyable experience volunteering for the National Park Service?

There have been many, most often involving particularly gratifying interactions with visitors from all over the U.S. and the world. From a purely personal perspective, the 2014 SSB Bicentennial ranks near the top. I was the gun captain directing the firing of the regular 9 AM “morning gun” on 14 September, 200 years to the minute after it was done on 14 Sept. 1814. While not exactly “most enjoyable,” participating in the making of the current visitor center video (circa 2012) was also an epic, memorable, experience.

Living historians, including Sailor Jerry at the water battery.

NPS