The Fort Brooke Record

October 1998

Back Issue Directory           Subscribe

ADVANCE

THE

COLOURS

Inspiration comes in spurts. Not long ago our camp Judge Advocate, Dr. Roger Crane, was blessed with not only an inspiration but the energy to put his thoughts onto paper. His well thought out and well written proposal to the Florida Division is a natural take off from the recent and current efforts of the Lesley Camp. Our camp has taken as its mission the installation of two combination flag poles andmonuments in our community each year. This proposal only broadens the vision and with the existing infrastructure of the Florida Division creates opportunity.

The following is the Introduction to the proposal

"This proposal is for the installation and display of several large Confederate flags as a living memorial to the Confederate Cause and to those men and women who served the Confederate nation.  These installations are to be situated at prominent sites near interstate highways coming into Florida. Here they will serve (a) as a welcome point from the SCV to residents and visitors and (b) as a daily reminder of the past sacrifices of the Southern people and the Cause that we seek to vindicate.  In a second phase, we seek to actively display the Confederate Flag in a respectful setting at sites spread throughout the State. The financial burden of both projects have been carefully considered and are deemed to be appropriate both in scope and within the resources available to the Florida Division.

We have all seen the flag taken down from sites where it has traditionally stood. We have, in the past, taken on the task of defending the Flag where it stood.  We are proud of the position that the Florida Division and International Headquarters have taken in this regard and reaffirm our support to these efforts.  We believe, however, that we in the SCV can be even more effective by, not only defending, but also seeking to "Advance the Colours."

The three page paper has been submitted from the camp for consideration to Florida Division Commander Bob Young. It is detailed as to the cost of the project, site selection, and spells out means for funding. It might be noted here that the proposed minimum height of the flagpoles are 50 feet and the proposed minimum size of the Battleflags are 10 feet by 15 feet. These sizes would certainly get the attention of the motoring public.

XXX

SPECIAL EVENT - OCTOBER 17th FISH FRY

It is always a thrill to announce that it is time for the Fall fishfry. The realization that cool weather is just around the corner, that football season is upon us and that very soon the woods will be beckoning the hunter means to Lesley Camp members that it will soon be time to fellowship at Cmdr. Haywards. This Fall we anticipate the grandest and best event ever.

There have been several changes that will enhance this event. First is the new lighting. Cmdr. Hayward has put up three new outdoor lights which will much decrease the shadows and will give us more room to place tables and chairs. Jim had to take down a diseased Pine tree and in its place went a pole upon which he placed one of the lights.

At past fishfrys we always placed the band under a period "fly" in front of an A frame tent. This year to give us more room and a better vantage point to the band we will use our parade float as a stage. The float will be placed next to the gate just east of the entrance gate.

But the best enhancement will be the music. We were infinitely fortunate that when Mr. Blanco Beasley joined our camp we obtained one of the members of a fine music group called the Society for the Preservation of Early Country and Western Music. If you like Grand Ole Opry then you will love this music. This evening will be a little bit of the Nashville sound. We expect from 10 to 20 musicians to perform and when we say "musicians" that is exactly what is meant. These folks are talented and assuredly you will be highly entertained. They will begin playing a 6 PM so come early and as the catfish cooks listen to some very fine music.

Remember that this is a covered dish fellowship. So do what you can to bring a dish of your favorite food. The catfish, grits, swamp cabbage (if available), and tea are furnished.

Please remember the following three very important items:

There is a $7.00 cover at the gate for adults. As always, children 12 and under are free.

Do call Cmdr. Hayward (685-4850) and let him know the number who will be coming in your party. He needs to have the tally so that sufficient fish, tables and chairs can be ordered.

Don't forget your covered dish.

See you on the 17th of October!

XXX

Editorial:

Youth Remembered, In the South

I suppose that as the years go by and the older we get the more nostalgic we tend to become. We remember places, people, things and images of what once was. Things and times gone but, as the song says, "not forgotten."

Is this a Southern thing, this tendency to become wrapped up in the past? Surely, wherever people are people and people have feelings, some of those people will be nostalgic of some things in their past. Surely, this has to be simply a human trait.

But then, even the press and the scholars tell us that we Southerners are different. They say that we will go to fightin quicker than other folks. Which means, I reckon, that we have a heightened sense of honour. Everybody raised South knows that when you banter with another that there are some things you just dont poke fun at. Namely a mans family (especially his wife), his dog, and his pick-up truck are all off limits. We Southerners might not be still slappin white gloves in each others faces but if you want an impromptu fist slingin then just step across that imaginary line that defines anothers honour.

When we Southerners feel the inner pain of longin for something gone, surely, its got to be the same pain that others feel. But then, I do think that there must be a difference - not in the quality or depth of the feelin but simply the amount of it and how often its felt.

Why would this be? Maybe its the air we breath...or maybe its in the genes...or maybe its the nature of what is lost and gone...or maybe, just maybe, its all of that.

I know that Southerners arent real fond of change. I mean, you can convince them to agree that change is goin to happen and even that change is good. But heavens, dont tellum that they will change. If you do that, well, then theyll just dig in their heels and theyll demand to stay the same or even to go backwards. You see, to a true Southerner, change should be a natural and ordered thing. Sorta like your grandpa would say "in due time."

Which brings me to passion. I mean, if you feel somethin real strong and you feel it quite a bit, then, it seems to me, you could call that - passion. And passion sort of underscores some of us Southerners. We do remember our past (some call it history) but to us its a callin. As Southerners, our past is real special. I mean we can lay claim to some of the greatest men of ALL time and to a Cause like no other. A Cause which will never be dust as long as we as its descendants understand and remember.

Nothing can bring a true Southron to rage quicker then to insult his sense of his history. You see, his history is like his sense of family - he was born into it and he remembers. But of course, on top of that, he has honour.

Marion Lambert, 1st Lt. Commander

XXX

Chaplains Column

Chaplain Rev. Kenneth Simpson

I would like to take a moment to give a special thank you to Compatriot Ralph Ganis for the excellent presentation he gave in last months camp meeting. His talk on the life and activities of Jessie James and his Gang was impressive. Even more impressive was his display case with the many artifacts that dated back to the days of Jessie James. I look forward to the next opportunity to have Compatriot Ganis share with our camp again. Also, I am happy to say that Ralph has joined our camp by moving his membership from a camp in North Carolina..

This past month we received from our National Headquarters two Resolutions concerning the deaths of two of our members. I do not want to say the names until I have had the opportunity to make a personal visit to the families, and make a presentation to them on behalf of our camp. I feel that it is important that we do not forget our fellow Compatriots who are no longer with us. These individuals did, while in their life times, support the camp and the Cause of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. They will always be missed.

Also last month I had the opportunity to attend the Boyd-Hill Reenactment over in St. Petersburg. This was an activity where our camp was able to set up a tent and share information about the SCV and our Southern Heritage. On the spur of the moment that Saturday afternoon, your Chaplain was asked by the officials of the event if he would conduct the Sunday morning services. Seems the Chaplain who was suppose to do this did not show up. I jumped on the opportunity to conduct the service. With the help of Marion Lambert and Loretta Groover, we had a wonderful service. There were about forty people in attendance, and an offering of $40.00 was received, and will be send to Re-Enactors Mission for Jesus Christ. God was truly good during the service. When the closing prayer was given and it was asked if anyone had a special need for prayer, several hands went up in response.

Finally, I hope to see each one of you and your families at our upcoming Fish Fry this month. The details are noted in this newsletter. We always have a wonderful time of fellowship, and the food is always out of this world. Please consider this prayer as I close out my article:

Our Father, who are in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name;Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever. Amen

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. You are always in my prayers and on my heart.

XXX 

LETTERS to the CAMP

Cyril W. Ray
lot 3, 301 Blackall Range Road
Woombye, Queensland 4559
Australia

29 August 98

John T. Lesley Camp,

As an Australian member of the SCV (John T. Lesley Camp 1282) I am very interested in the link between our two countries. Following the end of the War Between the States many Confederate soldiers migrated to Australia, mainly for freedom and the attraction of our "Gold Rush." Many went back eventually but many remain in our cemeteries so far from their loved ones.

I would like to organise a project during the year 2000. As many Southerners will be coming to Australia for the Sydney Olympics, we could arrange for a group visit to some Confederate graves close to Sydney. Flowers, flags and prayers could be offered for forgotten heroes. Apart from the fact that we owe it to those long departed soldiers, the media could give a great coverage to the event.

It might be of some interest to obtain the view of your readers before we approach other camps.

I am attaching the copies of a new newsletter started by a Queensland member ot the American Civil War Round Table of Australia, which might be of some interest to your readers.

I take this opportunity to compliment all the participants of you newsletter. I read it with great interest and it makes me feel closer to you all.

Sincerely yours,

Cyril Ray

XXX

The Heritage Report

The following "travel editorial" was published in California by the Orange County Register. Not often are we blessed with such a clear written example of such malicious, ignorant, and biased reporting. Mr. Warners writing skills in this article satisfies all of those categories and fills them to a "T." Enough to make your blood boil, this piece is representative of the mindset of those who would love nothing better than to see our traditions and heritage trashed and to see us culturally homogenized into the rest of modern America.

At the end of Mr. Warners sweet conclusion you will notice several addresses where you might let he and the paper know how infinitely thrilled we are after having read his written words.

Rushmore, a place where those nostalgic for the "Lost Cause" of the Confederacy could revel in brief glories. At the park entrance, a curio shop proudly displays the Confederate stars and bars flag, to many blacks what the swastika is to victims of Nazism. The nearby town of the same name was for much of this century a citadel of racism. James Venable, the imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, was mayor for many years. He organized Klan rallies at Stone Mountain through the 1980s.

 Despite its racist history, Stone Mountain today is a picture of racial harmony. The town of Stone Mountain recently elected its first black mayor, Charles Burris, who won with support from whites and blacks. Burris and his family now live in Venable's former home. Stone Mountain itself is a magnet for visitors of every skin hue and political stripe who come out as much for the fresh air as to see the three rebels on the mountain.

 On a sunny spring day, the park is filled with blacks and whites. A pair of young white girls skate by, oblivious to the silence because of the music pounding into their earphones. Two young black couples sit in their black Ford sedan, a steady rap beat pumping from car speakers, spilling across the largely empty parking lot. Yuppies and buppies (black urban professionals) on their lunch break, pickup-driving white locals in John Deere caps and even a Pakistani family easily mix in the warm sun, lolling under the gaze of the United States' most famous turncoats outside of Benedict Arnold.  

"And this is nothing," Pete Griffin, a white resident of nearby Hankins, said as he piloted his 4-year-old son around on his tricycle. "If you came here on a summer Saturday, you wouldn't have the space to throw down a washcloth on this lawn. It seems all of Atlanta is out here."

Visitor Jim Earl was one of the few people in the park who had come out specifically to see the carvings. "I'm from Nashville, and since I was in Atlanta, I wanted to check it out," said Earl, who is white. "It doesn't move me one way or another. But then, I am a Southern transplant, so it doesn't have much meaning to me." But Pete's wife, Colleen, who is white, knows the meaning, and she doesn't like it. "That carving up there is a dinosaur that alienates a lot of people," she said. "I wish they would just get rid of it."

XXX

The Adjutant's Report

(from Deputy Adjutant Dwight Tetrick)

Since August 25, just over a month ago when I was honored to accept this position of Deputy Adjutant there has been a great deal to learn. Under the training of Commander Jim Hayward and Lieutenant Commander Marion Lambert many areas of instructions have been addressed, I am impressed with the immense responsibility of this title. I wish to express deep thanks to the above camp officers, also to Lieutenant Commanders Michael Herring and Mark Lane, Quartermaster Jake English, Judge Advocate Dr. Roger Crane, Chaplain Reverend Ken Simpson and 9th Brigade Commander Jim Cunningham for their patients and cooperation.

All camp business with S.C.V. Headquarters and Florida Division is caught up or "in the works." For those camp Compatriots that have paid their 1998 dues and have not received a membership card please contact me. On the subject of dues, 1999 is right around the corner. The annual membership dues letter will be mailed out very shortly. Please remember that the camp dues are insufficient to pay for the printing and postage of the monthly newsletter. Those Compatriots who want to save on postage may submit your check for $33.00 to me at the up coming meeting.

We are still looking forward to having Compatriot Herman H. Ray, a "Real Son" from Stewart Webster Camp 1607, Richland, Georgia transfer into our camp. He is living in Zephyrhills, suffering from health problems so please remember him in your quiet moments.

Dep. Adj. Dwight Tetrick

XXX