The Virginia Society concluded a successful year and has begun a new one. We have been blessed with great leadership at the state level and this year will be no exception. President Reverdy Wright clearly spelled out his objectives and they deserve our full support.
First, President Wright said that he wants Virginia chapters to cooperate with each other. I believe that the Culpeper Minutemen already lead the way in that effort and we will continue to look for new ways to cooperate with our fellow chapters. The prime example of this is the Seven Chapter Meeting at Graves' Mountain Lodge. That was a CMM initiative, and continues to be our handiwork for the benefit of all seven chapters. This year, for the first time, we will yield the gavel, but every other aspect of making this wonderful meeting work is still our responsibility. We have a robust color guard and along with supporting the state color guard we are always ready to support other chapters, as we did several times last year. Each Liberty Sprig event we hold is a joint venture with the Col William Grayson Chapter, sharing the proceeds. We also support the Norfolk chapter as co-sponsors of the Great Bridge Ceremony; a role we intend to expand this year - details to follow. This is one of our strong points, but this year we should strive to make it stronger.
The second initiative from President Wright was to place emphasis on chapters and activities west of the Blue Ridge. We are geographically well suited to support this effort and already do this well. Let's do better this year, starting with perhaps the biggest challenge, attending the Commemoration of the Raid on Martin Station, 383 miles from Culpeper, on May 9th. Car pooling is a great way to go and I will be driving with room for two more.
With continued great leadership from the Virginia Society this is going to be another great year for the Culpeper Minutemen.
Your Servant,
Bill Schwetke, President