Compatriots:

Recently, we “test marketed” some rubber wristbands designed for students.  They are simple, inexpensive items, gray, debossed  with “SCV.ORG.”  Obviously, they function as a recruiting tool as well as a reference to our website.

Their value is far beyond that, however.  It allows our young people to create a “club” of their classmates and friends that also respect their Confederate Heritage. The medium is one that has become very popular (Christian messages, Lance Armstrong’s LiveStrong, etc.), particularly with young people.

These were originally distributed to the 20 largest camps — we received some good feedback, so now we want to distribute them on a wider basis.  We have approximately 600 left.  Please contact GHQ and request them as needed.  We can make supplies available when those are exhausted, but there will be a small charge.

As we approach the end of the school year, we want to use these in conjunction with promoting the Sam Davis Youth Camp.  Please help us by getting these to young people that are student SCV members or camp attendees.

SONS of CONFEDERATE VETERANS
ARMY of TENNESSEE
Thos. V. Strain Jr. AoT Commander

AoT Workshop Saturday 2 February, 2013

Schedule of Events
8:00-9:00am Registration and Sign In
9:00-9:15am Opening Remarks and Comments
9:15-10:00am Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Report on Beauvoir- Bert Hayes-Davis
10:00-10:15am Break
10:15-10:45am Working with Educators- AoT Councilman Larry McCluney
10:45-11:15am Camp Fundraising- Alabama Division 1st Lt. Commander Jimmy Hill
11:15-12:00pm Community Relations- AoT Commander Tom Strain Jr.
12:00- 12:45pm Lunch served on location
12:45-2:45pm Vision 2016- Dr. Tom Hiter
2:45-3:00pm Closing Remarks
The cost for the workshop is $18.00 which will cover the rental of the building as well as lunch. Please send your check to the following address:

Joe Wheeler Camp #1372
P.O. Box 43362
Vestavia Hills, AL 35243

Directions and Maps are located on the Camp website www.fightingjoewheeler.org

Contact Camp Commander Larry Muse at lmuse55@gmail.com or Camp Adjutant John Thomas at jwt101843@yahoo.com with any questions that you may have.

I look forward to seeing you all on the 2nd!

Compatriots:
As you are probably now aware, Dixie State College in St. George, Utah recently moved a statue depicting a Confederate soldier and Battle flag. This is an incredible piece of art and would, no doubt, be welcomed by us if it needed to be relocated.

However, we are still in the midst of a Heritage battle to bring back the statue, preserve the name of the institution (which is also at risk) and start a camp in the area. Communications with the college are premature, unauthorized and do not present a united front for the SCV.

Our membership in that area is not large and financial resources are slight, as well. However, there is much unrest in the community and among Dixie alums over what has transpired. Our men in that area are hoping to leverage that circumstance to fight this battle. It also presents us with an excellent opportunity to introduce the community to the SCV and do some effective PR work.
Furthermore, Dixie is a state institution; if this battle is going to be fought, the legislature should be engaged. They will return for session in a few weeks. We really should not assume this situation to be resolved until they have weighed in on it.

For now, the administration that has taken this action should be considered hostile to our purposes and values. Now is not the time for unauthorized unilateral discussions to begin with them.

R. Michael Givens-Commander-in-Chief

For Immediate Release

Contact: Allen Sullivant
Email: allensullivant@bellsouth.net
Phone: 615-971-7484
Website: http://scv.org

Sons of Confederate Veterans Request Investigation of Battle of Franklin Trust by State Officials

The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) announced today that an attorney retained to investigate allegations of mismanagement and improper conduct by members of the Boards of Directors of both The Carter House in Franklin, Tennessee, and its management group, of The Battle of Franklin Trust (BOFT), has uncovered numerous instances of apparent disregard for the legal requirements for operating non-profit corporations, conflicts of interest on the parts of several members of both boards, and a possible misuse of state funds. As a result of this investigation, the SCV has requested the Tennessee Historical Commission to undertake its own investigation, and to involve other state offices such as those of the Attorney General and State Comptroller as they see fit. The Carter House is a state-owned historic site, under the stewardship of the Tennessee Historical Commission, and is one of Tennessee’s premier tourist destinations.

Managed under the auspices of the Carter House Association since the 1950s, practically all control of the Carter House was signed away to the Battle of Franklin Trust three years ago in what some are calling a political maneuver, one which may be costing the taxpayers of Tennessee. Now, the Battle of Franklin Trust is requesting the Tennessee Historical Commission to deed related state property to them. Surprisingly, two of the people making the request have strong ties to the state, one being a state commissioner, and the other being the wife of a state commissioner.

“We were troubled to discover that state funds were possibly being used to make payments on an existing mortgage against Carnton Plantation, a privately owned historic site which is also managed by the Battle of Franklin Trust” said William Speck, Heritage Chairman for the Tennessee Division of the SCV. The mortgage in question was initiated by Marianne Schroer, wife of TDOT Commissioner John Schroer, when she was chairman of the board of directors of the Carnton property. She now holds the same position on the board of the Battle of Franklin Trust. Marianne Schroer and another state commissioner, Tourism Department head Susan Whitaker, who is also a board member for the BOFT, have spear-headed the BOFT’s effort to obtain title to taxpayer-owned property.

Mr. Speck added, “The Carter House property belongs to the people of Tennessee and no portion of it should be given away to any group whose financial situation is questionable and whose grasp of proper management practices is apparently deficient. Therefore, the SCV retained the services of attorney Randy Lucas, and his investigation has confirmed that the problems with the Battle of Franklin Trust rise above mere carelessness. Mr. Lucas has outlined a number of deficiencies and conflicts of interest among board officers, and has now forwarded his findings to the Tennessee Historical Commission.”

The SCV is requesting the Tennessee Historical Commission to vote against any concept of transferring property to the Battle of Franklin Trust. Further, the SCV is requesting that the Tennessee Historical Commission immediately open an investigation into the BOFT and the legal issues and financial questions brought forward by their attorney, involving any state agencies they feel necessary. Finally, the SCV requests a decision as to whether the contract between Carter House and the BOFT is legally binding, because of the “perpetual” control given over a state-owned property, and because the Carter House board president who solely approved the contract is an officer on both boards, which appears to be a classic conflict of interest.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans is an international organization of descendants of Confederate soldiers and the nation’s largest military history and genealogy society. Formed in 1896, the SCV owns, operates, and manages many historic properties, including Winstead Hill Memorial Park in Franklin, the General N.B. Forrest Home in Chapel Hill, and Beauvoir – the last home of Jefferson Davis, in Biloxi, Mississippi. Its headquarters are in Columbia, Tennessee, at historic Elm Springs.

Gentlemen:

You have probably seen the recent petition on Change.Org concerning the Forrest monument. Now it is our turn –

http://www.change.org/petitions/selma-al-city-council-continue-work-on-the-forrest-monument-use-it-as-an-educational-opportunity

The other one got about 320k signatures. We MUST top that. How soon can we do it? Please distribute the above link to our friends and Compatriots, far and wide.

Compatriots, 

 Last night, Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever was killed in a one vehicle rollover accident near Williams, in northwest Arizona. He had been there to attend the funeral of his mother. Sheriff Dever was the 2012 recipient of the SCV’s Hoover Law & Order award . The Arizona Division and Camp 1710 will send an appropriate memorial to the funeral.

Curt Tipton

Adjutant, Arizona Division SCV

Adjutant, Confederate Secret Service Camp 1710 SCV

Fort Huachuca, Arizona

Proposed constitutional amendments one and two pertaining to allowing camps to secede from their divisions were defeated. Proposed constitutional amendment three dealing with a minor wording change to section 13.4 dealing with discipline was approved.

Proposed standing order amendment number one was withdrawn by the author, and proposed standing order amendment number two, clarifying language dealing with the prohibition of SCV members, camps and divisions from filing lawsuits without prior express consent of the GEC, was approved.

A paper ballot was used to select Richmond, Virginia as the 2015 site of the 120th SCV Annual General Reunion.

Officers elected for 2012-2014

Commander in Chief- R. Michael Givens
Lt. Commander in Chief- C. Kelly Barrow

ATM
Commander- M. Todd Owens
Councilman- Charles E. Lauret

AOT
Commander- Thomas V. Strain, Jr
Councilman- Larry Allen McCluney

ANV
Commander- Britton Frank Earnest ,Sr
Councilman-Randall B Burbage

Also selected to serve on the General Executice Council

Chief of Staff- Charles L. Rand III
Adjutant in Chief- Stephen Lee Ritchie
Chief of Heritage Defense- Eugene G Hogan II
Chaplain in Chief- Mark W. Evans
Judge Advocate in Chief- Roy Burl McCoy

2012 National Awards

Dr. George R. Tabor Award is presented to the most distinguished camp in the SCV. The winner of this prestigious award, which is an extremely close competition every year, is the Finley’s Brigade Camp 1614 of Havana FL, Graham F. Smith, Commander.

Scrapbooks-

Dr. B. H. Webster Award for the best Scrapbook for camps with fewer than 50 members was not awarded in 2012 as no entries were received.

Judah P. Benjamin Award for the best Scrapbook for camps with 50 or more members is the Robert E. Lee Camp 239 of Fort Worth TX, James B. Turnage, Commander.

Dr. James B. Butler Award for the best historical project was won by Litchfield Camp 132, Conway, SC, James E. Graham, Commander.

General Stand Watie Award winner for the camp making the largest contribution to the Stand Watie Scholarship Fund was not awarded in 2012.

Best Web Site- General Samuel Cooper Award for the best website is the William Kenyon Australian Confederates Camp 2160, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. http://www.scvau.com/ James M. Gray, Commander.

Newsletters-

Dr. Paul Jon Miller Award winner for the best newsletter among camps with fewer than 50 members is The Round Mountain Report which is produced by the COL Daniel N. McIntosh Camp 1378, Tulsa OK, Kenneth H. Cook, Editor.

S.A. Cunningham Award for the best newsletter among camps with 50 or more members is The Louisiana Tiger which is produced by the LTG Richard Taylor Camp 1308, Shreveport LA, Bobby G. Herring, Editor.

Dewitt Smith Jobe Award for the best Division newsletter is a tie and two awards were given to The Carolina Confederate, North /Carolina Division, Ron Perdue, Editor and the Palmetto Partisan, South Carolina Division, Bill Norris, Editor.

Recruiting-

Edward R. Darling Award for the top recruiter in the Confederation is awarded to Kyle Sims, a member of the COL Middleton Tate Johnson Camp 1648, Arlington
TX. Compatriot Sims recruited 37 new members.

Membership-

General Nathan Bedford Forrest Award for the camp with the greatest gain in membership (plus 39 net) goes to COL W. M. Bradford/COL J. G. Rose Camp 1638, Morristown TN, Michael L. Beck, Commander.

New Camps, Division- General A. P. Hill Award is a tie with five new camps each, and is awarded to the North Carolina Division, Thomas M. Smith Jr, Commander and the Georgia Division, Jack Bridwell, Commander.

New Camps, Army- General Albert Sydney Johnston Award for the Army with the greatest gain in new camps, a total of 12, goes to the Army of Trans-Mississippi, W. Danny Honnoll, Commander.

Individual Awards

Hoover Law and Order Medal was presented to Sheriff Larry Dever, Cochise County, AZ.

Rev. J. William Jones Christian Service Award is presented to Reverend Eric Gray Rudd (NC), Reverend David Andrew Taylor (AR), and a posthumous award to
Reverend Jack Ray Griffin (AZ) all three of whom have emulated and perpetuated the orthodox Christian faith demonstrated by the soldiers and citizens of the
Confederate States of America.

Robert E. Lee Gold Medal, the second highest award which can be given to a SCV member, has been presented to Eugene G. Hogan II (SC), B. Frank Earnest Sr.
(VA), and Thomas Y. Hiter (KY) for their exceptional contributions and service to the SCV.

Jefferson Davis Chalice has been presented to Bragdon R. Bowling Jr. (VA). This is the highest award which may be bestowed on a member for service to the SCV and consists of an engraved silver chalice, a medal and a certificate.

Non Member Awards

The S. D. Lee Award, the SCV’s highest award for nonmembers of the SCV was presented to Pam Trammell of Arkansas.

The Horace L. Hunley Award, the SCV’s second highest award for nonmembers was presented to Allen Roberson of South Carolina.

The Dixie Defender Award, the SCV’s third highest award for nonmembers was presented to Sarah Mosley of South Carolina.

Resolution adopted unanimously by the GEC March26,2012

These being the facts: The Museum of the Confederacy has long been on a path to downplay it’s role in commemorating the Confederacy. It is opening a new facility in Appomattox where it refuses to display a Confederate flag on a pole outside the building.

Thus be it resolved: The General Executive Council of the Sons of Confederate Veterans does call upon the Museum of the Confederacy to display a Confederate Flag on a pole on the outside of the Appomattox facility. That such a display is both historically accurate and morally necessary.

Be it also resolved: The General Executive Council of the Sons of Confederate Veterans does strongly urge it’s Compatriots not to be participants in the opening ceremony of said facility. To do so lends credence to the claims of those refusing to display the Confederate flag in its proper station.

Ladies & Gentlemen,

Arizona’s Real Son, James Brown, son of Pvt. James Henry Harrison Brown, Oglethorpe’s Rifles, CSA, has been moved to a hospice. He is not expected to reach his 100th birthday on 14 February 2012.

Deo Vindice!

Curt Tipton Field Representative, Army of Trans-Mississippi Department, SCV Adjutant, Arizona Division SCV Adjutant, Confederate Secret Service Camp 1710 SCV Fort Huachuca, Arizona It is with extreme sadness that I inform you of the impending death of Real Son, Jim Brown. He was moved today from a hospital into a hospice here in Knoxville. Jim is approaching his 100th birthday on February 14th. Our SCV Camp #87 has scheduled a birthday celebration for Feb 19th with CIC Michael Givins, his Executive Council and the Governor of Tennessee along with numerous other SCV Camps. Even if he is still living, Jim will be unable to attend. The Longstreet-Zollicoffer Camp #87 is extremely fortunate to have two Real Sons on our membership roll, particularly considering there are reportedly fewer than thirty still living. As soon as I get more details, I will let you know. Deo Vindice Vaughn Hickman Newsletter Editor Longstreet-Zollicoffer Camp #87 Knoxville, TN