Living History: Sergeant F.C. Gurney, 4th US Cavalry

After decades of conflicts between the military and the Indian People in the Willamette Valley, a period of peace came to Fort Walla Walla in the 1890s. The life of a soldier changed from action packed old western skirmishes into a mundane daily routine of parade drills, horse training, guard duty, kitchen duty, and base clean up. Sergeant F.C. Gurney can tell you exactly what it means when his superiors give the order to do yet another day of parade drills and cleaning the stables. Those are the kinds of things soldiers do as part of the 4th Cavalry stationed at Fort Walla Walla. Go ahead and ask Sgt. Gurney what he likes to do or where he likes to go on his time off. Thanks to a few bad apples amongst the ranks, his options might be limited. The year is 1898, orders have been issued to deploy the 4th Cavalry to the Philippines; things are starting to pick up again for Sgt. Gurney and maybe if he gets selected for deployment he can prove himself valiantly abroad and earn a medal for his efforts. Sergeant F.C. Gurney is portrayed by Living History re-enactor and history enthusiast Delbert Draper.