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2017 Congress - Knoxville - Update

10/27/2016

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KNOXVILLE HOTEL UPDATE
The primary hotel for Congress in Knoxville from July 7 -13, 2017 is now full and they are not taking reservations.  So we begin to work with the secondary hotel.  That hotel is the Hilton Knoxville the single rate is $129 per night with tax.
 
Distance from the Holiday Inn, Knoxville which is the Congress Site is approximately 0.2 Miles or a long city block.  It does have a covered walkway that you can walk down to the Convention Center where the evening banquets will be held. 

For Reservations: You can call the hotel at 865-523-2300, ext. 323 or to do it online
Booking Link: https://secure3.hilton.com/en_US/hi/reservation/book.htm?inputModule=HOTEL&ctyhocn=KNXKHHF&spec_plan=NSSAR&arrival=20170707&departure=20170713&cid=OM,WW,HILTONLINK,EN,DirectLink&fromId=HILTONLINKDIRECT

Hotel: Hilton Knoxville
Group Name: NSSAR
Arrival Date: 07-Jul-2017
Departure Date: 13-Jul-2017

 
Questions or issues please email Paul Callanan, NSSAR Congress Planning Chair at LTCMRSC@aol.com or 906-273-2424.

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TUNSTALL HIGH SCHOOL ARMY JUNIOR ROTC CADETS RESTORE FREEDOM SHRINE

10/24/2016

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report submitted by Col. George Waller Chapter President Bob Vogler
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Tunstall High School students studying documents at the Freedom Shrine.
     Under the supervision of LTC David King, a member of the Col. George Waller Chapter in Martinsville, Cadets of the Trojan Battalion Army Junior ROTC program at Tunstall High School (Pittsylvania County) with the assistance of the Martinsville Exchange Club recently replaced the Freedom Shrine, which has been missing since the school renovation began in 2009.  The Freedom Shrine is a collection of over thirty facsimiles of key documents from the history of the United States
 
     Mr. David Bandy, the Tech instructor at Tunstall, installed plywood backs for the plaques and an outline of the Liberty Bell for the Exchange Club sign and the Shrine has been mounted in the JROTC/ English wing of Tunstall High School.  Mrs. Adrian Nester’s Advanced Placement English writing classes were the first classes to use the shrine for their study of key documents.   “Citizenship in American History and Government” is a key component of the Army Junior ROTC curriculum and the study of these documents is an important part of the Junior ROTC mission “to motivate young people to be better citizens.”  The Freedom Shrine is once again readily available for use by all the students at Tunstall High School.

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Army JROTC cadets of the Trojan Battalion at THS with Tech instructor David Brady.
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LTC King & the JROTC fly over THS appropriate historical flags on the anniversaries of important events in American history.
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Battle of the Hook Highway Marker Dedication

10/22/2016

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22 Oct 2016                                 Gloucester County, VA

report submitted by President Ed Truslow
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Left to right: Jeff Brown, Virginia SAR President Ed Truslow, Williamsburg Chapter President Harley Stewart, Chris Melhuish.
     On Saturday October 22nd Gloucester County, the Gloucester Historical Society and the local Battle of the Hook Committee dedicated a roadside marker in the area of the 1781 Battle of the Hook.  This battle was critical in hastening the  British surrender across  the river in Yorktown.  The battle effectively halted British food foraging in Gloucester County and the rest the Middle Peninsula as well as closing off their only escape route out of Yorktown. VASSAR participants in the ceremony were VASSAR President Ed Truslow who brought greetings on behalf of the Virginia SAR, Williamsburg SAR President Harley Stewart and Virginia SAR Color Guardsmen Chris Melhuish and Jeff Brown.  Ed in a personal note mentioned that his 4th great grandfather Benjamin Truslow was with General Weedon's militia at the battle.

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Yorktown Victory Day, 2016

10/19/2016

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19 Oct 2016                                                Yorktown, VA

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Victory Monument at Yorktown.
  Yorktown Victory Day began with the annual wreath laying at the tomb of Thomas Nelson, Jr., who signed the Declaration of Independence, served as a general of Virginia Militia, and was a governor of Virginia during the revolution.  President General Mike Tomme represented the SAR, President Ed Truslow represented the Virginia SAR, and 1st Vice President Mike Elston was the master of ceremonies. Virginia SAR Chaplain Gene Thomas offered the invocation and benediction; and Virginia SAR Color Guard Commander Darrin Schmidt commanded the Color Guard.  Six SAR state societies and 14 Virginia SAR chapters participated in the ceremony and marched in the parade.  Participating Virginia chapters included: Col. Fielding Lewis, Col James Wood II, Culpeper Minutemen, Col. William Grayson, Fairfax Resolves, Fort Harrison, George Mason, George Washington, Norfolk, Richard Henry Lee, Richmond, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Nelson, Jr., and Williamsburg.
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Advance the Colors. Front Rank, left to right, National Color Guard Commander David Hoover, with US Flag, Virginia SAR Color Guard Commander Darrin Schmidt, President General Mike Tomme.
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Color Guard presents arms. Virginia SAR Color Guard Commander Darrin Schmidt, with halbard, and President General Mike Tomme at end of front rank.
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Virginia SAR 1st Vice President Mike Elston, Master of Ceremonies.
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Virginia SAR President Ed Truslow introduces the SAR President General.
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President General Mike Tomme, keynote speaker.
     As the wreath presenters were called forward by Master of Ceremonies Mike Elston, Color Guard Commander Darrin Schmidt accepted and placed the wreaths.
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President General Mike Tomme, escorted by National Color Guard Commander David Hoover.
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Virginia SAR President Ed Truslow.
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Col Fielding Lewis Chapter President John Hamilton
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Fairfax Resolves Chapter, Larry McKinley.
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New Mexico SAR President, Andrew Lyngar, dual member of Culpeper Minutemen Chapter of Virginia SAR.
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Col. James Wood II Chaper President Brett Osborne
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Richard Henry Lee Chapter President Don Smith.
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Fort Harrison Chapter President Tom Pettit.
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Thomas Nelson, Jr. President Bruce Meyer.
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Williamsburg Chapter President Harley Stewart.
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Culpeper Minutemen Chapter President Bill Schwetke.
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Wreaths at Thomas Nelson, Jr's grave.
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Norfolk Chapter President Maury Weeks.
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Don Reynolds of the George Washington Chapter.
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Mike Weyler of the Col William Grayson Chapter.
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Richmond Chapter 1st Vice President Dennis Petterson.
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Peter Davenport of the George Mason Chapter.
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Father Henry Minick of the Thomas Jefferson Chapter.

     Immediately after the wreath laying ceremony, approximately 40 compatriots, led by President General Mike Tomme and Virginia SAR President Ed Truslow, and supported by members of the C.A.R., mustered for the parade.  They mustered on Church Street, then marched to Main Street, five blocks down Main Street and past the reviewing stand, the fell out into the field on Zweybrucken Street for photos.
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Those who marched in the parade.
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Congress Planning Committee Surveys Hotels for 2020.

10/17/2016

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     The Virginia SAR Congress Planning Committee and the National Congress Planning Committee visited five hotels in Norfolk and Richmond over three days, October 17-19.  One of these hotels will be selected as the site for the 2020 Congress.  Those making the visits included National Congress Planning Chairman Paul Callanan and his wife Keitha, SAR Executive Director Don Shaw, Virginia Congress Planning Chair Mark Brennan, President General Mike Tomme, past President General Lindsay Brock, Virginia President Ed Truslow and his wife Laura, 3rd Vice President Tom Whetstone, Secretary Wayne Rouse and his wife Wink, Bill Schwetke and his wife Cat, and Mrs. Julia Crider of Helms Briscoe.
     The hotels visited included Norfolk Waterside Marriott, the Hilton Norfolk The Main (still under construction), the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside, the Hilton Richmond Downtown, and the Richmond Marriott.  The group also visited the St. Paul's Church in Norfolk and the Richmond Convention Center.
     The National and Virginia groups will independently rank order the hotels, and if they agree on their first choices, negotiations will begin with that hotel for the 2020 Congress.  If the two groups do not agree, the SAR Executive Committee will decide.

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Mariott Waterside, left to right: Don Shaw, Ed Truslow, Laura Truslow, Rebecca Smith of the Marriott, Tom Whetstone, WInk Rouse, Paul Callanan, Wayne Rouse, Julia Crider, Bill Schwetke, Keitha Callanan.
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Viewing the Hilton Norfolk the Main, under construction.
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Ready for the Hard Hat Tour of the Hilton Norfolk the Main, front row, left to right, Keitha Callanan, Cat Schwetke, Wink Rouse, Laura Truslow, Wayne Rouse, Paul Callanan; back row, left to right: Tom Whetstone, Bill Schwetke, Don Shaw, and Ed Truslow.
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St. Paul's Church, Norfolk.
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The group at dinner in Norfolk, clockwise from lower left: Cat Schwetke, Wayne Rouse, Wink Rouse, Keitha Callanan, Paul Callanan, Don Shaw, Julia Crider, Tom Whetstone, Wayne Callis of Visit Norfolk, Ed Truslow, Laura Truslow, Secoya Holmes of Visit Norfolk.

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Meeting to start the tour of Sheraton Norfolk Waterside, clockwise from lower left: Bill Schwetke, Mark Brennan, Don Shaw, Julia Crider, Chris Russell of Sheraton (standing), Wayne Rouse, Wink Rouse, Keitha Callanan, Paul Callanan, PG Mike Tomme, past PG Lindsay Brock. Picture by Cat Schwetke.
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Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Fitness Center
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Sheraton Norfolk Waterside meeting room. Left to right: Paul Callanan, Lindsay Brock, Keitha Callanan.
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Hilton Richmond Downtown, left to right: Keitha Callanan, Don Shaw, WInk Rouse, unknown, Julia Crider, unknown behind Julia, Mary Brown of CMP, Paul Callanan, Tim Stacer of CMP, Mark Brennan.
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Richmond Convention Center. Left to right: Bill Schwetke, Paul Callanan, Jenny Toomey of the Convention Center, Wayne Rouse, Wink Rouse, Don Shaw, Mark Brennan, Julia Crider.
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Marriott Richmond. Left to right: Wayne Rouse, Paul Callanan, Cheryl Knight of Marriott, Julia Crider, Wink Rouse, Mary Brown of CMP, Bill Schwetke, Mark Brennan.
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242nd Anniversary of the Battle of Point Pleasant

10/12/2016

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9 Oct 2016                                         Point Pleasant, WV

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Memorial, wreaths, and flags at Tu-Endi-Wei State Park, Point Pleasant, WV.
     This past weekend was Battle Days at Point Pleasant, WV, were the victory of the Virginia Militia under Andrew Lewis over Indians under Chief Cornstock was celebrated.  This was the major battle of "Dunmore's War".
     Saturday events included a parade in the morning, then in the evening was the Governor's Banquet, followed by the Governor's Ball.  Sunday began with a Colonial Church Service, followed by the presentation of memorial wreaths.  At the wreath presentations the memorial address was delivered by Lt. Col. Rusty McGuire, commander of the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Virginia National Guard, descended from the Virginia Militia which fought at Point Pleasant.
     The Virginia SAR was represented by four compatriots and three wives: President Ed Truslow and his wife Laura; 2nd Vice President Pat Kelly and his wife Jennifer; Peter Davenport; and Bill Schwetke and his wife Cat. Pat Kelly, Peter Davenport, and Bill Schwetke participated in the color guard.  President Ed Truslow presented the Virginia Society wreath at the memorial service.

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Colonial Church Service at the base of the monument at Point Pleasant.
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President Ed Truslow with the Virginia SAR wreath.
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Virginia SAR participants and wives, front row, left to right: Laura Truslow, Cat Schwetke, 2nd Vice President Pat Kelly. Back row, left to right: Peter Davenport, President Ed Truslow, Bill Schwetke. Not pictured, Jennifer Truslow.
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Justice Scalia's Family Accepts His Gold Good Citizenship Medal

10/8/2016

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report from 1st Vice President Mike Elston
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Chancellor General Davis Wright, Virginia SAR First Vice President Michael Elston, and George Washington Chapter President Paul Walden presented Justice Scalia's Gold Good Citizenship Medal to his son and saughter-in-law, Lt. Col. & Mrs. Matthew Scalia

     On October 8, 2016, the Virginia SAR presented the Gold Good Citizenship Medal posthumously to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Lt. Col. Matthew Scalia and his wife, Michelle, attended the October meeting of the George Washington Chapter and accepted the medal on behalf of the Scalia family. The Gold Good Citizenship Medal is presented for outstanding and unusual patriotic achievement and service of national importance. Past recipients of the medal include former Presidents Truman, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush. More recently, the Virginia SAR has presented the medal to Secretary of Veterans Affairs General Eric Shinseki, two former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (General Peter Pace and General Richard Meyers), former Attorney General Edwin Meese, and General Frederick Kroesen Jr., former commander, U.S. Army, Europe, and Army Vice Chief of Staff. Thank you to the GW Chapter for hosting this event!
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236th Anniversary of the Battle of Kings Mountain

10/7/2016

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7 Oct 2016                             Kings Mountain National Military Park, SC

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The SAR Color Guard at Kings Mountain. Virginia participants are in the front row, 2nd from right - Bill Schwetke; fourth from the right - Peter Davenport; fifth from the right - Pat Kelly. Mostly hidden in the back row, over the left shoulder of the seventh man from the right in the front row, is Mike Elston.
     Despite rain, heavy at times, the SAR celebrated the 236th Anniversary of the patriots' victory at Kings Mountain in South Carolina.  Fortunately for the attendees, the National Park Service set up tents for protection from the rain. The Virginia SAR attendees included 1st Vice President Mike Elston, 2nd Vice President Pat Kelly, Surgeon Kirk Sheap and his wife Norma, Trustee Reverdy Wright, Peter Davenport, and Bill Schwetke.  Elston, Kelly, Davenport, and Schwetke participated in the color guard.
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John Slaughter, National Park Service Southern Campaign of the American Revolution Parks Group Superintendent and an SAR member, was the master of ceremonies.
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Keynote speaker B/G James R. Gorham.
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Mike Elston with the Virginia SAR wreath.
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Pat Kelly with the Thomas Jefferson Chapter wreath.
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Kirk & Norma Sheap with the Ft. Harrison Chapter wreath.
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Peter Davenport with the George Mason Chapter wreath
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Bill Schwetke with the Culpeper Minutemen Chapter wreath.
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Reverdy Wright at Kings Mountain.
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Dedication of DAR Marker to African American Patriots at Kings Mountain

10/7/2016

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7 Oct 2016                             Kings Mountain National Military Park, SC

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Descendants of the three African American patriots unveil the monument in their honor. photo by Mike Elston
     Today the DAR dedicated a marker to three African American patriots that fought at Kings Mountain.  The patriots were:
Essius Bowman
John Broddy
Andrew Ferguson

     After greetings from the various organizations in attendance, and the keynote address by B/G James R. Gorham, North Carolina National Guard (retired), the patriots' descendants unveiled the marker.
     Treasurer General Warren Alter represented the SAR.  The Virginia SAR attendees included 1st Vice President Mike Elston, 2nd Vice President Pat Kelly, Surgeon Kirk Sheap and his wife Norma, Trustee Reverdy Wright, Peter Davenport, and Bill Schwetke.  Elston, Kelly, Davenport, and Schwetke participated in the color guard.

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The SAR Color Guard presented the colors, the Overmountain Men fired a musket volley, and a bugler played taps.
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Callands Fall Potpourri Festival

10/1/2016

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01Oct2016                                                                                Callands, VA

report submitted by Colonel George Waller Chapter President Bob Vogler
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Living History Encampment.
The Colonel George Waller Chapter participated in the annual Callands Fall Potpourri Festival Saturday, Oct. 1.  The Chapter organized a living history encampment with participants skilled in colonial crafts, as well as SAR & DAR members.  Demonstrations were provided in leather working, power horn making, firearms, use of colonial toys, colonial history, and orientations to the SAR.   The camp enjoyed hundreds of visitors on a nice fall day in south-side Virginia.
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Participants
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Compatriots Bob Soper & Gene Reamey
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Compatriot Bob Soper firing his fire lock at the Callands Festival.
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