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September 2006

HL Hunley Camp meeting had a great attendance with 36 regular members, and 9 guests. We had 2 new members, Compatriot Benjamin Bunting and Terry Rhodes inducted into the camp. We were honored to have them inducted in by our SCSCV Div. Cmdr. Randy Burbage and 1^st Lt Cmdr. Eugene Hogan.

We started the meeting with the pledges to the flags and Monty Jones said our opening prayer. Mike Blackwelder provided our meal for the evening with hot dogs and hamburgers.

Other Guest attending were the 6^th Brig. Cmdr. David Rents and many from other camps in the Trident area.

Cmdr. Wright spoke about the reestablishment of the SCV camp at Clemson.

SCV Commander Randy Burbage – spoke about the SCV National Convention and how proud he was of the awards for the SCSCV.

SCV Lt. Commander Eugene Hogan – spoke on recruiting meetings in SC.

SCV Field Rep. Jack Marlar, our guest speaker, spoke about the integrity of the SCV and also some recruiting tactics.

September and October Events

Sept. 8, 9, & 10 - See Saw Daze at Harleyville, SC

Sept. 8 & 9 - Battle of Tunnel Hill, Tunnel Hill, Georgia

Sept. 10 -100th. Birthday of UDC chapter #1018, Oakley Park, Edgefield, SC

Sept. 22, 23, & 24- Railroad Days Branchville, SC Branchville-Aiken, the South Carolina Railroad & Canal Co. (Norfolk-Southern)

Sept. 30 - Boone Hill Cemetery clean up.

Oct. 21^st - 3^rd Annual Southern Heritage Youth Day, sponsored by the Rivers Bridge camp.

Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado) will be the guest at the Visa Room of the SC State Museum at 11:00 am, Saturday Sept. 9th. Bar-B-Q will be furnished by Maurice Bessinger's Piggy Park. The cost per plate will be approximately, $20, with proceeds going to Congressman Tancredo's, 501 (C-4) organization, “America has had enough".

As you are aware, Congressman Tancredo has led the fight against illegal immigration in Congress. Join us at the State museum for two hours of vital information, fellowship, and good food. The cost of the ticket will cover admission into the State museum. If you have not seen it, you need to spend the entire day there.

Questions should be directed to Lourie Salley (803) 957-1036

There will also be a meet and greet for him at Aiken Council Chambers on Monday Sept. 11^th at 7:00 PM.

He spoke in Aiken about 15 months back at a luncheon and is quite good

After general discussion on things for the good of the camp, the meeting was adjourned and Monty Hall did the invocation and we all joined in to sing Dixie. Next Camp Meeting is September 28^th, 6:30PM at the Masonic Lodge, Main St. Summerville. Please join us.

For anyone interested in contacting SCV field Rep. Jack Marlar for material that he displayed at the camp meeting. Contact:

Jack E. Marlar

Field Representative
2161 Greenpond Road
Fountain Inn, SC 29644
Home: 864-862-3946
Cell: 864-616-0042
E-mail: fieldrep1@scv.org

"To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we submit the vindication of the Cause for which we fought; to your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles he loved and which made him glorious and which you also cherish. Remember, it is your duty to see that the true history of the South is presented to future generations."

Lt. General Stephen Dill Lee, Commander General, United Confederate Veterans,
New Orleans, Louisiana, April 25, 1906.

Sons of Confederate Veterans

Army of Northern Virginia

2005 - 2006

Dr. James B. Butler Award

“Outstanding Historical Project”

3^rd place

Dr. George R. Tabor Award

“Outstanding Camp of the Year”

Meritorious Service Medal

Presented to

Adjutant Rick Andrews

Sick Call – This month we find that Rick is now out of the woods doing much better. Larry Jamison has had another surgery and is still out of work. Our 3^rd Lt. Cmdr. Dale Presley is on his way to Texas to be with his brother who is having open-heart surgery. A report from Mark Clark finds that Mrs. Rogers, Clyde’s wife is about the same; she has her good and bad days.

Cmdr. Walker Wright and 1st. Lt. Joe Willis attended the New Orleans SCV National. On their road trip the made several stops along the way.

Joe and Walker at Andrew Jackson Park in New Orleans

Joe and Walker at the restoration of the Jefferson Davis home and Presidential Library in Beauvoir, Mississippi.

Cmdr. Walker Wright receiving award at National Convention.

ANV meeting Aug. 5^th It was adopted by the Army of Northern Virginia that all members that are not in uniform would hold there hand over their heart during the salute to the SC Flag and the Confederate battle flag.

Salute and Pledges

Salute to the Confederate Flag I salute the Confederate Flag with affection, reverence, and undying remembrance to the cause for which it stands.

Salute to the South Carolina Flag I salute the flag of South Carolina and pledge to the Palmetto State love, loyalty, and faith.

The Pledge of Allegiance to the U S Flag I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Private John E. Googe, D. July 10th, 1864, Appling County, Co. F, 47th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Appling Rangers. Killed in action at the Battle of Burdens Causeway known as The Battle of Bloody Bridge on Johns Island.

Sons of Confederate Veterans

South Carolina Division

1^st Brigade
Joseph L. Payne III, Cmdr.
154 Chaney Hill Road
Cleveland, SC 29635-9213
(864) 836-0304
Chaneyhill@bellsouth.net

The 1^st Brigade is in the very initial stages of attempting to reestablish a student SCV Camp at Clemson University this fall.

May we ask that if your individual Camp members know of either an enrolling or existing student at Clemson that might be a suitable candidate for SCV membership this would also prove invaluable so we might contact them and solicit their participation.

Ideally you may have a young man from either your Camp that is already a member or a Camp member that has a son that will be attending Clemson that may not have joined the SCV.

The ideal situation of course is a young man who is already familiar with the SCV by having attended and participated in Camp protocol, as he would be an ideal asset to assist with the administration of this new Camp.

The proposed name for this new Camp will be the 1^st Lt. Thomas Green Clemson Camp in recognition of Lieutenant Clemson’s efforts on behalf of the CSA during the War for Southern Independence.

If you would advise me of the name of such a young man and also indicate whether he has had any prior familiarization with the SCV it would be greatly appreciated.

The South Carolina Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, continues to grow. We have new Camps in Columbia, Darlington, North Charleston, Ridgeland and Westminster. Our present Camp count is at 67. The South Carolina Division at its strongest, with more Camps than we have ever enjoyed in the history of the SCV. Our current membership is at 3115.

We have enjoyed a prosperous and eventful year. At our last convention we passed resolutions to support the rightfully elected administration at the national level during a time of unparalleled unrest. Our Division was solid and unwavering in our demands and backing of our duly elected officers. 90% of our camps attended our last Division convention held in Beaufort, SC.

On the home front we were challenged by a number of heritage violations as well as other threats to our cause. Early last year Senator (and Past Division Commander) Danny Verdin wrote a bill that would allow our Division to be treated the same as any other organization that provides specialty license plates. Ours was the only organization that did not share in the profits garnered by such an enterprise. When our elected Senators and Representatives moved slowly in passing this important bill, the Compatriots of South Carolina gave the necessary and gentlemanly push to move the bill to passage. Now thanks to our combined efforts, our Division enjoys the rewards of promoting our heritage through the sale of the SCV license plates.

Early last year, the newly reformed Star of the West Camp at the Citadel asked for our assistance. A man whom in the past had expressed his extreme prejudice toward the SCV and Southern heritage was being considered for the position of President of the Military College of South Carolina. This situation would have certainly put the Star of the West Camp in peril. Again through the gentlemanly persuasion of our fellow Compatriots, the man was dropped from consideration by the college.

Our combined efforts led to a victory concerning a parade in Florence. The local Camp had followed all procedures necessary to march in a parade. At the eleventh hour, the city government decided to withdraw permission to allow the SCV to march because of the Confederate Battle Flag contained in our logo. The mayor and city councilmen were adamant in their determination to keep the SCV out. Our members applied heavy pressure and three hours after the start of a campaign to bring them to the logical position of fairness, the city government buckled to our demands and re-invited the Camp to march.

All of these victories (and many more) were won through the hard work at the local level and with the determined and over-whelming might of the Division MAC (Media Action Committee). All of our Camps that have participated in the MAC program can consider themselves invaluable participants in each victory. The MAC program has a noble heritage beginning with the successful defeat of the Reconstruction History National Park that was to be placed in South Carolina by the US Congress. It is my sincere hope that the MAC program will continue to help serve the cause of the SCV for many years to come.

May 10th is Confederate Memorial Day in South Carolina. This is a legal holiday in our state, but in recent years has been observed by the SC Senate but not the House of Representatives. Through our Camp MACs and individually we put pressure on Speaker Bobby Harrell and other members of the House. We received a call from Speaker Harrell with a promise that next year and every year that he is speaker, the SC House of Representatives will observe Confederate Memorial Day.

South Carolinians are hard at work on a number of projects. We have vigorously taken on the task of supporting an effort to defend the rights of all students in South Carolina to honor their Southern ancestors without the current bigotry displayed by many SC school boards. We are supporting a legal action in the Latta School District that involves the daughter of one of our Compatriots in Dillon. We feel this is a winnable case that will lead to more victories due to the precedent it will set. The family of the young lady, the local Camps and your Division are continuing to raise the funds necessary to see this case to a successful conclusion.

In 1927 South Carolina Electric and Gas began constructing the Lake Murray Dam. They were very sensitive to the fact many rural cemeteries would be covered by the new lake. Every cemetery was surveyed and documented. Bing Chambers and the 15^th Regiment SC Volunteers Camp #51 in Lexington took on the task of installing a monument in downtown Lexington in memory of those Confederate soldiers still at rest beneath the lake. The monument was recently installed on city property with the overwhelming support of Lexington Town Council. This is possibly the first Confederate monument installed in South Carolina on public property supported by public assistance in over 80 years!

Earlier this year NASCAR announced their "Drive for Diversity Program". The front office of NASCAR reports that our "Southeastern redneck heritage" is virtually dead. Confederate flags would no longer be tolerated at NASCAR events. Several prominent drivers made derogatory remarks about our heritage and our beloved Battle Flag. It seems that NASCAR cultural diversity did not include those of us with Confederate Heritage. We did not appreciate the name-calling and decided to let them know that reports of our demise were greatly exaggerated and most premature. We needed to let the Southern fans know they are not alone and there are many of us who love and revere our ancestors, their brave deeds and our shared heritage. Therefore, we decided to act. In attendance at the last Daytona 500 was Division Lt. Commander Irvin Shuler. Commander Shuler and other members of the SC Division went to Daytona with 5000 bumper stickers from our Division demanding honor for the men who fought under the Confederate Battle Flag. They were greeted with much enthusiasm. Later, we decided to Tent a billboard near Darlington Speedway for the May race. The billboard stated "Victory is great but honor is Greater" and included our 1-800# with our logo. It was installed in April with much positive press. We got a call from the billboard company the Friday of race weekend. Rail America, which owns the right of way where the billboard is located, did not like the billboards content and demanded it be removed. The sign was removed on Friday morning. After several calls from our lawyer and the Charleston newspaper, the sign company reinstalled the sign on Saturday morning at 6am just in time for the Nextel Cup race that evening. The sign was again removed on June 15 and legal action is pending.

The South Carolina Division continues to support the Hunley Project with volunteers and monetary support. Volunteers from our division work every weekend helping with tours. The Hunley Crews' grave markers were recently installed and dedicated at a very moving ceremony.

We have been looking into ways to make the business of our Division run more efficiently. We have created a new and very efficient method of dues collection. Beginning this year, the SC Division will send out a bill for membership dues. Members will write one check that will include Camp, Division and National dues. Payment is sent to the members Camp Adjutant who will then write two checks: one to the Division and one to National. This plan should take a great deal of pressure off our Adjutants as well as raise retention levels.

A project we have in the works for retention and Camp building is called The Southern Heritage Presentation Series. These will be meetings sponsored in different sections of the State to increase awareness in Southern heritage and culture. We will aggressively advertise these events through print and radio. We expect this to be a good source of recruitment as well as being informative for our communities.

The South Carolina Archives and History Center has asked for our involvement on an advisory committee for the 150th anniversary of the War for Southern Independence. We are working closely with them to see that we have influence toward the telling of the true history of our South during the War.

The future looks bright for the SCV in general but most particularly here in South Carolina where we are very proud of our Confederate Heritage.