Hey Woody:

Do we need to move past Jesus, the American Revolution, The Declaration, The Constitution, and everything else that Americans used to stand for and join the 21st century with you?

For those that might stumble across this, allow me to shed some light on the SCV that you can count on for being the truth.

I have been a member since 1990 after having first becoming involved with reenacting some 11 years prior. During that time I met and knew many SCV members and never once did I meet one that I would be embarassed to acknowledge. If there were any "racist attitudes", I don't remember them and I certainly would not have ever joined the SCV if there had been.

From 1991-1993, I served as Camp Commander (our terminology equal to "Chapter President" in other organizations) in a neighboring county. From 1994-1996, I served as Brigade Commander (regional, and from June of 1996 through March of 1997, I served as Commander of the Georgia Division of the SCV. I recently passed the gavel of the local Fayette SCV over after 9 years (1999-2007)as Camp Commander. For the record, I am also a member of the local Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR).

The SCV is like any other organization from Churches to civic clubs: We can't control, not would we really want to, the thought processes and mouths of our thousands of members. As an organization, we do actively police our membership. In my almost 19 years of membership, several members have been dismissed for "conduct unbecoming".

As for Confederate Memorial Day, it is very appropriate to link it to national Memorial Day since it was the inspiration behind the May holiday. The wife of Union General John "Black Jack" Logan was moved by her observation of an early Confederate Memorial service after the war, and she enlisted the aid of her war-hero (to the North) and Congressman husband to create what we now call Memorial Day.

It is also appropriate since the SCV has hundreds, if not thousands, of members in the military right now defending our right to freely debate these topics. My nephew is a member of the SCV, and is right now this very minute fighting in Iraq for our protection. He is a four year veteran and has been in the Army since he was 17. He is a Purple Heart recipient, and has just been promoted to Sgt. He is proud of his CSA ancestors, and his membership in the SCV.

I would encourage you and any other citizens of Fayette County to visit the local SCV Camp (info is at www.fayettescv.org). You will find that our Camp is very special.

We present programs to local schools, about 13 appearances a year, promote CSA history and heritage via our volunteer work at local museums, festivals, and fairs; installing CSA and on occasion other war period grave markers; we take care of two local cemeteries that are not under local governement jurisdiction; we promote an honorable and always very well attended Confederate Memorial Day service and this year we were once again honored to have the Fayette Co. Board of Commissioners, the City of Peachtree City, the Town of Brooks, the City of Fayetteville, and the Town of Tyrone all issue proclamations declaring April as Confederate History and Heritage Month and acknowledging April 26 as Confederate Memorial Day; several also included designations for 2008 to be the "Year of Davis" in honor of the 200th birthday of CSA President Jefferson Davis. Two other local goverments will do so in June in conjunction with his June 3 birthday.

The SCV in Fayette County and surrounding areas very much has it's house in order but thanks for the opportunity to promote our local Camp.