28 Sep 2019 Culpeper, VA On Saturday, 28 September, CMM President Tom Hamill was the evening speaker at the Carter Society gathering in Culpeper. The Theme of the talk was on the Revolutionary War and the Carter Family's participation in the war. President Hamill brought both regimental and militia garb for Carter Society members to try on, and his presentation was well received by all.
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28 Sep 2019 Middletown, VA 1st Vice President Charles Jameson led the three CMM compatriots who attended the Middletown Patriots Pride Festivities this past Saturday. Others participating were CMM Color Guard Commander Michael Dennis and Bill Schwetke. Charles presented the CMM wreath and Bill presented the Virginia SAR wreath during the ceremonies, and all three compatriots marched in the Color Guard.
22 Sep 2019 Partlow, VA On Sunday, 22 Sept, members of the CMM Color Guard helped the Wallers Baptist Church in Partlow, VA celebrate the 250th anniversary of their founding. CMM President Tom Hamill led the group with CMM Vice President Charles Jameson and CMM color Guard Commander Mike Dennis also participating. The Color Guard was helped by James Woods II President Daley Corey and Paul Christianson. The Pastor at Wallers Baptist is Culpeper Minutemen DAR Regent Jojuan White.
20-21 Sep 2019 Louisville, KY Virginia Attendees, front row (seated) left to right, Billie and Lindsey Brock (dual CMM), Virginia SAR President Peter Davenport, Pat Kelly (dual CMM - wife Jennifer not in picture), CMM compatriot Bill & Cat Schwetke. Standing, left to right: Tim Dioquino, Greg Ohanesian (CMM dual), Treasurer General Bruce & RIta Pickette (CMM dual), behind Bruce is Jeff Thomas (CMM dual), Barbra Ohanesian, Jim & Jan O'Kelley, Mike Weyler, Gar Green (CMM dual), Cilla & Mike Tomme (CMM dual) Nancy & Warren Alter, Joe Dooley, Alison & Registrar General Doug Collins (CMM dual), Jack Bredenfoeder, Andrew Lyngar (CMM dual), Dan Woodruff (CMM dual), Nancy & John Barlow. Not in picture: Mike Elston, CMM compatriot Lance Lyngar, Larry McKinley, Darrin Schmidt The Fall Trustees and Leadership Meeting was held this weekend at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, KY. The CMM were represented by Lance Lyngar, Bill Schwetke, and dual members PG (2014-5) Lindsey Brock, Registrar General Doug Collins, Gary Green, Pat Kelly, Andrew Lyngar, Greg Ohanesian, Treasurer General Bruce Pickette, Greg Ohanesian, Jeff Thomas, PG (2016-7) Mike Tomme, and Dan Woodruff.
Bill Schwetke marched with the Color Guard and participated as a member in the following committees: Color Guard, Congress Planning, Congress Review, Council of State Presidents, DAR Liaison, Genealogy, Reeanactor and Living History Liaison, and 250th Anniversary of the American Revolutionary War. Lance Lyngar participated as a member in the Color Guard and 250th Anniversary of the American Revolutionary War committees. Notable events at the meeting included the selection of Pennsylvania Society for the 2024 Congress, which will probably be held in the Philadelphia area, and the Genealogy Committee's adoption of a new application form that may begin use, if approved, next year. 14 Sep 2019 Arlington National Cemetery President General Jack Manning presented a SAR Wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington Cemetery this Saturday. He was accompanied by National Color Guard Commander Jim Fosdyck, Virginia SAR President Peter Davenport, and George Washington Chapter President Dave Thomas. During the presentation the SAR Color Guard lined the steps leading to the tomb. Bill Schwetke represented the CMM and participated in the Color Guard.
13-14 Sep 2019 Fairfax, VA The 2019 Virginia SAR Semi-Annual Meeting was held at the Fairfax Marriott at Fair Oaks. 82 compatriots from 16 Virginia Chapters attended. Our honored guest was the President General, Jack Manning and his First Lady, Sheila. The Culpeper Minutemen were represented by President Tom Hamill, Vice President Charles Jameson, Color Guard Commander Michael Dennis, Mike Lyman, and Bill Schwetke, as well as dual members Pat Kelly and Jeff Thomas. All except Mike Lyman participated in the Color Guard. At this meeting the Virginia SAR endorsed the following for national leadership in 2020-2021: President General - Davis L. Wright, Esq (DE)
Secretary General - C. Bruce Pickette (AL - CMM dual member) Treasurer General - John L. Dodd, Esq. (CA) Chancellor General - Michael J Elston, Esq. (VA) Registrar General - Douglas T. Collins (KY - CMM - dual member) Historian General - William O. Stone (AL) Surgeon General - Ernest L. Sutton, MC (PA) Chaplain General - Rt. Rev. Louis V. Carlson, Jr. (CA) Genealogist General - Robert B. Fish (WV) Foundation Board - Darryl S. Addington, MD (TN) Foundation Board - Joseph W. Dooley (VA) 11 Sep 2019 Culpeper, VA In 2001 our country suffered a terrible attack that took thousands of lives, and thoroughly destroyed our sense of peace. But it also brought us together; it reminded us of the values we share and how much our individual fates are united. In this way it was not unlike our terrible War Between the States. In the aftermath of each we came together and sought out what united us and diminished that which divided us. The Sons of the American Revolution was born as part of reminding us of our common ideals after that earlier tragedy. Both tragedies struck not far from a small city in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Culpeper, Virginia. The 19th Century war swirled around it and the 21st century terror struck only a few miles away at the Pentagon. It’s citizens died in both. Culpeper has strong memories of both tragedies, and a strong spirit of what keeps Americans united. This spirit was aroused, as the years passed, by seeing division creep back into our country, and by 2008 it found a new expression for the memories that bring us together. Gerry Schuck, then Virginia State Director of Bugles Across America, decided that we must remind ourselves of these shared ideals. Gerry began to organize a ceremony to remember 9/11 in Culpeper. That first year, Gerry’s sole support was the Culpeper Minutemen Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. The Culpeper Minutemen Chapter gathered around Gerry in front of the Culpeper Volunteer Fire Department at 08:46 on the morning of September 11, 2008, the seventh anniversary to the minute that the first plane struck the North Tower. Salutes were rendered as Gerry played taps in memory of the brave fire fighters who gave their lives to save others on that day. At 09:03, the time that the second plane hit the South Tower, the same group gathered in front of the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office and repeated the ceremony in honor of the law enforcement officers who had given their lives. At 09:37, the time that the third plane hit the Pentagon, the ceremony was repeated at Culpeper National Cemetery, in honor of those killed in that attack. Then at 10:03, the time that the last plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania, the ceremony was repeated at the intersection of Main and Davis Streets, where the police had stopped traffic. Over the years the ceremony has grown, and the Pentagon ceremony has shifted to the new Military Memorial in Wine Street Park. This year Gerry and Bugles Across America were joined by, not only the Culpeper Minutemen Chapter, but the Virginia SAR President, Peter Davenport, and color guardsmen from the Colonel James Wood II, Colonel William Grayson, Fairfax Resolves, and George Mason Chapters; and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Culpeper Volunteer Fire Department, the Culpeper Police Department, and the Culpeper Sheriff’s Office, with their members and their color guards. Beginning in 2013 a second taps was added at Main and Davis to honor the heroes of Benghazi on September 11th 2012 as well as the playing of America the Beautiful and Amazing Grace. Through the years many other Virginia Society Chapters have contributed members for the Color Guard in this ceremony. In 2018 the National Society Color Guard Commander recognized this as a “Massing of the Colors” National Event. On this day our community comes together to forget our differences, unite around our shared ideals, and remember those modern patriots who lost their lives that we may live free. It is a goal of the Sons of the American Revolution that this spirit be shared and never fade. Greetings Compatriots and Friends of Culpeper Minutemen
The Officers and I would like to take a minute to thank each and every one of you for your generous contribution(s) to the Culpeper Minutemen Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution funds drive in support of the Great Bridge Battlefield (GBB) & Waterways History Foundation (WHF). As some of you already know we were successful in meeting our goal of $1,775.00. One of the motivations for taking up a collection as a Chapter instead of encouraging members to donate individually was that the Chapter would receive a Lucite block with a piece of the original causeway embedded in it. The Lucite block is not the only incentive the Great Bridge Foundation included for joining the 1775 Society. We also received ten “Admit one” tickets and 25 10% discount tickets good for all GBB & WHF events between December 12, 2019 and November 30, 2020. These tickets are available to you on a first come, first served basis. If you are interested please write or email me. William N. Mutziger Treasurer CMM 7 Sep 2019 Fort Story, VA On Saturday, September 7th, the Norfolk Chapter commemorated the Battle of the Capes. This battle, between fleets of French and British warships, decided which of Cornwallis' British Army or Washington's combined American and French Armies, would be supported by a friendly naval force. The French fleet, under Comte de Grasse, prevailed, and this directly led to the victory at Yorktown that insured the survival of our young nation. The ceremony was conducted at the foot of the statue of de Grasse, within sight of where the ships fought. The CMM was represented by Bill Schwetke, who presented the chapter wreath and also participated in the Color Guard. The CMM Board of Managers met on Saturday, 24 Aug 2019 and approved a few motions that the general membership needs to be aware of, including some proposed changes to the CMM constitution and by-laws that will require approval by you, the members of the Culpeper Minutemen. First - sorry, this is going to be long, but it is important that the decisions that were made are explained so you have a good understanding of the thinking of the Board of Managers. If you have any comments, questions or concerns, please feel free to e-mail CMM President Tom Hamill at [email protected]. Item #1: It was Moved, Seconded and Approved (MSA) to set the annual dues for the CMM Chapter to $20/yr starting with this year's dues cycle, and further, to set the annual dues to $25/yr starting in 2025. Rational: The current dues of $15/yr appears to have been set sometime in the 1990s (at least, I cannot find anyone that knows for sure when that level was set). Adjusted for inflation, it takes about $22.30 in 2019 dollars to equal the same buying power that $15 had in the late 1990s. By 2025, it will take roughly $25 to equal the buying power of $15 in the late 90s. So at present, we are only able to execute 2/3 of the activities we'd like to, and not raising the dues only delays and exacerbates that issue. Raising the dues to $20 this year closes alot of that gap, and moving it to $25/yr in 2025 restores the rest. The following items are changes to the CMM Constitution. As per the CMM Constitution, this is your written notification of the proposed changes. These items will be discussed at the September CMM Monthly Meeting to be held on Saturday, 21 Sept at 11:30am at Warrenton Presbyterian Church. Final vote on these changes will be at the October CMM Meeting to be held on Saturday, 26 October at 11:30am at Little Fork Church in Rixeyville, VA. If you are not able to make either meeting and would like to contribute your thoughts and concerns, please e-mail CMM President Tom Hamill at the e-mail noted above. You may vote Yea/Nay on these measures on-line if you cannot make it to the October meeting. Please e-mail your votes to CMM President Tom Hamill and to CMM Vice President Charles Jameson ([email protected]) before noon on Friday, 25 Oct 2019. Item #2: It was MSA to move the CMM monthly meeting from the 3rd Saturday of the month to the second Monday of the month. This affects the monthly meetings in January, March, May, June, Sept, Oct and Nov. So the proposed CMM meeting calendar would be: Jan: BOM Meeting 1st Saturday; Chapter Meeting 2nd Monday Feb: No Chapter Meeting - VASSAR Annual March: Chapter Meeting 2nd Monday April: Grave's Mountain Multi-Chapter Meeting - 3rd Saturday May: Chapter Meeting 2nd Monday June: Chapter Meeting 2nd Monday (It would be reasonable to keep this meeting on the Saturday closest to Flag Day in conjunction with our CMM Muster Ceremony) July: CMM Picnic 3rd Saturday (Not an official meeting according to our Constitution) Aug: BOM Meeting 3rd Saturday Sept: Chapter Meeting 2nd Monday Oct: Chapter Meeting 2nd Monday Nov: Chapter Meeting 2nd Monday Dec: Joint SAR/DAR Christmas Party - no offical set date Rational: Over the past year the Chapter has been involved in a number of events held by neighboring chapters. Also, there have been quite an increase in State level events. Almost all of these events have occurred on Saturdays. It is very important to participate in these events as it provides an opportunity to get to know others within the State society which in turn increases the esprit de corps with our fellow SAR members. Increasingly it has become difficult to deconflict CMM meetings with other SAR activities. As an example - only one of our CMM Chapter Meetings in 2019 will have been held on the date designated in our constitution. By moving the meeting to the 2nd Monday of the month (proposing an evening meeting time) deconflicts the meeting with other SAR events allowing chapter members to participate in those events, and allows members who might be traveling to events out of state to still make the monthly meetings when they return. The BOM would also like to see more members attending the monthly meetings. Saturday is typically one of the few days that members who are still working have off and may have other family obligations that take precedence over the SAR. The BOM is hoping that moving the meeting to Monday evenings will allow more members to attend. Item #3: It was MSA to change the term of office for CMM officers from 1 year to 2 years, and to remove the office of 2nd Vice President. Rational: At this time the Chapter is pretty thin in the number of members capable of taking the reins and running the organization. The BOM believes that moving the term of office to 2 years will ensure stability in the officer ranks for the next few years in order to build up members' experience with the organization so they will be ready to take on the leadership of the Chapter in 4 or 5 years. The leadership structure of having a 2nd Vice President makes sense if the Presidential term is 1 year. This gives a person 2 years of experience to learn how to lead the organization so they can be effective right away in their presidential term. With the officer terms set to 2 years, that 2 year "training" period is accomplished as the Chapter Vice President. The following item is a change to both the CMM Constitution and the CMM By-Laws. Item #4: It was MSA to require a review and renewal of both the CMM Constitution and CMM By-Laws every 5 years. Rational: The changes being proposed above are a re-alignment of our business in order to correct problems and issues unique to the Chapter in 2019. The Constitution and By-Laws should be reviewed regularly to ensure the Chapter remains strong and vital. Thank you for your continued support for the SAR and the Culpeper Minutemen. Hopefully these changes will help to make a stronger organization, and I look forward to seeing everyone at our Chapter meetings this Fall.
Sincerely, Tom Hamill President, Culpeper Minutemen Chapter Virginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution |
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