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.

     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.

     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)

     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

     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.

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.