NY National Guard Honors President Martin Van Buren on Thursday, Dec.5

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New York Air National Guard Brigadier General Robert Lovell and New York Army National Guard Command Sgt. Major Frank Wicks present the presidential wreath at Martin Van Buren's grave in 2012.

KINDERHOOK, NY (12/04/2013)(readMedia)-- New York Army National Guard Brigadier General Raymond Shields, Director of Joint Staff for the New York National Guard, will make the 231st birthday of President Martin Van Buren by laying a wreath at Van Buren's grave site in Kinderhook New York on Thursday , Dec. 5.

WHO: Brig. Gen.Raymond Shields, New York Air Natonal Guard ; New York Army National Guard Soldiers; Kinderhook local officials.

WHAT: Annual recognition of former President Martin Van Buren, a Columbia County native who died -on July 24, 1862 in Kinderhook, N.Y. He was born on Dec. 5, 1782. Shields will lay the traditional wreath sent by the current president, President Barack Obama, which is laid at the graves of past presidents by military representatives.

WHEN: 10 a m. Thursday, Dec. 5.

WHERE: Kinderhook Cemetery, County Route 21, Kinderhook New York.

Coverage Opportunities:

Images of the wreath laying ceremony, military colorguard, and troops in formation. There will be opportunities to interview ceremony participants.

BACKGROUND:

The United States Military honors our former presidents by laying wreaths at their gravesites on the anniversary of their birth. The New York Army and Air National Guard traditionally conduct the wreath layings at the graves of President Chester A. Arthur in Menands, and President Martin Van Buren in Kinderhook.

Martin Van Buren:

Van Buren was the first president born under the U.S. flag. A historical marker on Kinderhook's Hudson Street indicates the site of the Van Buren family tavern, where the president-to-be was born in 1782. He's buried in the family plot at the Kinderhook Reformed Cemetery. Van Buren served in the White House from 1837 to 1841.

He is the only president not to have spoken English as his first language, having grown up speaking Dutch, and the first president from New York.

He ran for re-election in 1840 but was defeated by William Henry Harrison. He sought the Democratic nomination for president in 1844, but lost to James K. Polk.

In 1848 he was the unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Free-Soil Party, a group opposing an extension of slavery. That defeat marked the end of his political career.

Van Buren, known as Old Kinderhook because of his home town, gave the English language the term OK. During his run for office OK clubs were organized to support him. He also initialed papers with the letters OK to indicate he approved. The two letters became another way to say something was good if it was OK.