The Wolverine Minute Man Newsletter of the Michigan Society of the Sons of the American Revolution

Transcription

1 The Wolverine Minute Man Newsletter of the Michigan Society of the Sons of the American Revolution # Winter Dear Compatriots, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. My hope is that in these tough times, families will be closer and very supportive of each other. After all, Good Will and Peace on Earth is not an idle expression. I was privileged to swear in the newly formed HURON VALLEY CHAPTER OF SAR on my 70 th birthday, November 8, 2008, in Ann Arbor. Compatriot David L. Critchett is their first president. Former VPG, Richard Steele, was present and assisted in the induction ceremonies. Good luck Huron Valley Chapter My wife, Sandy, and I attended the Great Lakes District Conference in Madison, Wisconsin Oct. 31 st and Nov. 1 st. Compatriot Gerald Burkland was present in full uniform and served on the Color Guard. VPG, Russel Buhr, hosted the conference. NSSAR PG, David Appleby, was the main speaker on Saturday. His topic was What do we do at the crossroads? The ladies were treated to a program of History of the American Flag in another room while our meeting was in progress. Saturday s speaker, Justin Isherwood, presented a very thought provoking talk entitled Wisconsin Indians in the Revolutionary War. Michigan also has a rich Indian heritage, which we should research and properly recognize. As MISSAR PRESIDENT, I reported on the activities of our active committees, such as ROTC, Grave Rededications, Veterans Committee, the WMM and our fine Chapter publications, Membership, Programs and Activities, Public Relations, Metals and Awards, Boy Scouts/Youth Program, and Law Enforcement. Also the progress of the Revolutionary War Military Trail and our recruiting plans All in all, it was an interesting and fruitful meeting. I would recommend that anyone who could should try to attend next year. The 2009 meeting will be hosted by Illinois on Oct 30 th and 31th at Lesle Illinois, more specific information to follow. Several VA clinics are slated to be opened in Northern Michigan by 2010, including Cheboygan, Cadillac, Grayling, and Bad Axe. This is good news for veterans who have to travel so far at this time. This year former VPG, E. Lou Hoos, started the Adopt a Flag program of Civil War flags. BOM members should be prepared to thoroughly discuss this topic at the February BOM meeting. Some things to consider are, how much to spend and what flag or flags do we wish to adopt. It is requested that all Chapter Presidents and committee chairmen have a report ready for presentation at the next BOM meeting. Looking forward to our meeting Feb. 21 st at Sayee s in Grand Rapids, at 11:00 A.M. Patriotically Yours, Ellis Olson, MISSAR President

2 West Michigan Chapter James A. Bergenham 1438 Marwood Drive SE Kentwood, Michigan ********************************************* Paul Emery Chapter Gary S. Wooden W. Lennon Road Lennon, Michigan ********************************************** Northern Michigan Chapter Joseph C. Conger 6432 Mission Ridge Road Traverse City, Michigan SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION State Society and Chapter Presidents Michigan State Society Ellis N. Olson 302 James Street Cheboygan, MI River Raisin Chapter Wayne Carpenter 1700 Fairfield Road Adrian, Michigan ***************************************** Detroit Metro Chapter Anthony M. Salmeto 3400 Hilton Estates Brighton, Michigan ***************************************** Sauk Trail Chapter Robert A. Wagel O Keefe Road Dowagiac, Michigan Oaks Chapter Rod Wilson 403 Red Oak Lane Rochester Hills, Michigan Huron Valley Chapter David L. Critchett 2654 Page Court Ann Arbor, MI Perpetual Life Members Perpetual Life Membership provides a lasting memorial and the payment of chapter, state, and national dues. All are recognized in the Wolverine Minute Man and Annual Directory. Michigan Society memberships are no longer available. Memorial Memberships may be purchased through NSSAR on a qualified deceased descendant *Wilbert H. Barret 1209 *Wallace C. Hall 1404 *Marion C. Crawmer 1422 *Lynn S. Gorden 2052 *Gov. G.M. Williams 2188 *Harold McCracken 2303 *John L. Ruby 2318 *Linus W. Heydon Sr *Donald J. Pennell 2429 *Pres. Gerald Ford 2438 George M. Pennell 2462 Charles E. Dewey 2517 Robert M. Heydon 2520 *George R. Thomas 2522 James L. Monroe 2523 Clare E. Monroe 2530 Kenneth E. Reeves 2542 *Clyde L. Wolff 2553 *Harry S. Radcliff 2712 John G. Fuller 2751 Eugene McKay 2752 Larry L. Blackett 2754 John M. Tuohy 2774 John S. Kennedy 2780 Stephen N. Tuohy 2819 *Donald Richards 2835 James Richards 2875 *Robert Whittenburger 2891 Edward A. Stokel 2895 William K. Stokel 2918 Thomas Monroe 3020 E. Lou Hoos 3072 Earl W. Modert 3077 Bradley J. Boring *deceased 3201 David James Herold 3/15/1967-5/25/ Brian Joseph Denslow 2/15/1959-4/4/ Douglas Fountain 8/22/1941-8/15/1990 George Washington Fellow Compatriots donating $ or more to the National Society SAR. George Washington Fellow Fund: **Gerald J. Burkland, Paul Emery Chapter **E.Lou Hoos, West Michigan Chapter **Richard A. Steele, Huron Valley Chapter, **Gary Wooden, Paul Emery Chapter Michigan Century Club Compatriots donating $ or more within a year for a specified program from thru Bernie W. Wagers Leonard J. Decker Youth awards Grave Marking NSSAR Library Memorial Memberships (Gifts for SAR Library, Grave Marking (G.M.), Law enforcement, Boy Scouts, Heritage Center, ROTC, Medal & Awards, etc)

3 A French Admiral s Bold Gamble-(Conclusion) Admiral de Barras, in order to avoid British naval patrols, sailed far out to sea before turning south to join Admiral de Grasse. During the summer, British intelligence had already come to the conclusion that something big was about to happen; they just didn t know when or where! As soon as reliable intelligence established Admiral de Grasse s intention to move his fleet to the American coast, the British began to take some definite action. The senior British naval officer in charge of West Indies operations, Admiral Sir George Rodney, sent a detachment of 14 ships under Rear Admiral Samuel Hood to reinforce the British presence in New York. As events turned out, this proved to be too small a force. More ships should have been sent!! The British still didn t know where the American forces planned to attack. They weren t sure whether New York, or Cornwallis s army in Virginia would be targeted. De Grasse sailed from Haiti on August 5, 1781, while Admiral Hood left Antigua in the West Indies on August 10. The two fleets, while sailing parallel courses, did not come in sight of each other. The British ships had copper bottoms, which made them faster; consequently, even though Admiral de Grasse had sailed first, he was the last to arrive off the American coast. Admiral Hood, arriving on August 25, took a quick look around Chesapeake Bay and determined that there was no French fleet there. He then hurried north to New York to join up with Admiral Sir Thomas Graves. On August 30 th Admiral de Grasse arrived in the Chesapeake Bay and, finding no opposition, began to disembark the 3,000 troops he had brought to reinforce the American forces. Admiral Hood, with Admiral de Grasse s whereabouts unknown, met with Admiral Graves to discuss the situation. Grave s main concern was Admiral de Barras fleet that had sailed from Newport, Rhode Island. British Intelligence had determined that it was carrying siege guns and troops to help the American forces, led by Lafayette, encircle Cornwallis troops at Yorktown. On September 1 st, in an effort to cut off this smaller French fleet, Graves and Hood set sail for Chesapeake Bay with a combined fleet of nineteen ships of the line. When they arrived at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on the morning of September 5 th, 1781 they quickly realized that they had found the much larger French 3 fleet of Admiral de Grasse. Admiral de Grasse was slow to react since he was expecting Admiral de Barras ships and didn t realize immediately that the ships outside the bay were British. It took Admiral de Grasse several hours to get his ships ready to sail out to meet the British in battle. The British at this point held several advantages: they were already in a battle formation, they had the wind at their backs, their ships were faster because of their copper bottoms, and they were trained for close combat. About noon, as the tide began to flow out to sea, Admiral de Grasse ordered his ships to leave the Bay and head out to the open sea. In their haste, the twenty-four French ships came out of the Bay in an undisciplined mass and failed to form a proper battle line. At this point the British fleet had an opportunity to defeat the vessels as they emerged from the Bay. Instead, Admiral Graves, ordered his ships to form another battle formation, different from the one they were currently in. This gave the French fleet time to get organized into their own battle formation. Admiral Graves wanted a traditional naval battle in which the opposing sides sailed parallel to each other blasting away. Unfortunately for Admiral Graves, when he changed the battle formation some of his weakest ships ended up opposite some of the strongest French ships. The British formation also had to turn 180 degrees in order to be sailing in the same direction as the French. In doing so, they gave up their wind advantage. With all of the maneuvering, it was after 3:00 in the afternoon before the battle commenced. By nightfall, Graves force had suffered 336 casualties, while the French had suffered 240 casualties. The British had six ships heavily damaged, with one being intentionally burned at sea a few days after the battle. The French Fleet had four ships heavily damaged. Both fleets spent the next day, September 6 th, making repairs. Neither side seemed inclined to renew the conflict. Admiral Hood tried to get Admiral Graves to turn around and try to reach Cornwallis before de Grasse, but Graves refused. He was determined to destroy the French Fleet as soon as repairs could be made to his ships. On the night of September 9 th, Admiral de Grasse realized that his real mission was to cut off General Cornwallis at Yorktown and headed his fleet back north to Chesapeake Bay. As he approached, he saw Admiral de Barras fleet at anchor inside the Bay. De Grasse, who knew that Washington and Rochambeau were on their way, realized that he had achieved his goal of trapping Cornwallis at Yorktown. Washington hurried from Williamsburg, where he had joined Lafayette on September 14 th, to meet with Admiral De Grasse on board his flag ship and offer his

4 4 warm personal congratulations on the Admiral s victory. He also persuaded the Admiral to remain until the end of October to prevent Cornwallis from making an eleventh hour escape. With the American forces to his front and the French fleet at his back General Cornwallis would have no choice but to surrender. When he realized that Admiral de Barras ships had safely reached Chesapeake Bay and reinforced Admiral de Grasse, Admiral Graves decided that the British fleet should sail back to New York and regroup before challenging the French again. In doing so the British Admiral left General Cornwallis to his fate. In Admiral Graves defense, it should be noted that he was not aware at the time that Washington and Rochambeau had marched their army to the outskirts of Yorktown and were preparing to lay siege to Cornwallis. On October 19, 1781 General Cornwallis surrendered, along with over seven thousand of his men. In battle, when the defender prevents the attacker from achieving his objectives, then the defender has won the battle even though neither military force was destroyed and the battle was technically a draw. The naval battles at Coral Sea and Midway are just a few examples. This battle can be added to that list. Fortunately, De Grasse realized his real mission before Graves, and broke off the naval engagement and returned to Chesapeake Bay. Though he spent only about two months in American waters and apparently never set foot on American soil, Francois Joseph Paul, comte de Grasse ranks with the marquis de Lafayette and the comte de Rochambeau as three of France s greatest contributions to the American Revolution and its successful fight for liberty. To Admiral de Grasse, a man whose successful gamble paid off in helping to create this great Nation, we say thank you. B. Wagers ************************************************* Revolutionary War Patriots buried in Michigan Patriot Benjamin Woodruff The City of Ypsilanti, Michigan has a history that goes back to French traders that placed a claim at the location just before the War of 1812, by establishing a small trading post on what was called the Sauk Trail. In 1820 the trading post burned down and was abandoned. A few years later Pioneer Benjamin Woodruff came into the Michigan Territory, along with some family and friends. They came looking for adventure, as well a chance to build a better life on the Michigan frontier Benjamin Woodruff was no stranger to adventure and travel. He was born in Hanover Twp, Morris Co NJ on the 26th of November His parents were James Woodruff and Johanna Mhu, who numbered among some of the oldest original families that had settled in New Jersey in the early 1600's. Benjamin was well seasoned in pioneer life. In 1775, at 31 years old, he was one of the first to answer the call to fight for independence. Records indicate that he served in Capt Keen's Company, eastern Battalion, Morris Co, New Jersey for one year as a drummer, and was a Sergeant in Capt Jonas Ward's Company and Capt Bailey's Company of the same Battalion. He went on to serve under Capt Timothy Tuttle, Capt James Keen, Capt John Deboe, Capt Benjamin Minard and Capt Jacob Gard. Hanover Twp. New Jersey was an area that George Washington and his troops often traveled through. It has a rich history of Revolutionary war involvement. New Jersey Troops and Militia may have been involved in as many as 1000 different skirmishes and battles. Benjamin Woodruff would have been in many of them considering the military units he was attached to. On 12 Mar 1771, Benjamin married Phoebe Pierson and they had three children. In 1777, Phoebe died while still young and in 1779 Benjamin married again to Patience Lum, and had about 6 more children. After the Revolutionary war ended and freedom had been achieved, the family moved on to New York where they lived for many years. In the early 1820's Benjamin decided to move to Michigan, influenced by Lewis Cass and others who were promoting the Michigan/Ohio Territory. He chose the Ypsilanti Michigan area to live out his final years. By Gerald Burkland with B. Wagers ************************************************ In Transition Compatriots of the MISSAR would like to extend their condolences to the families of the following MISSAR members who have passed from this life: 1. Henry Alfred Harvey-Sauk Trail 2. William M. Perrett III-Huron Valley The MISSAR would like to welcome the following new members: 1.Michael March # Detroit Metro 2. Lars Johnson # Paul Emery 3. Mark Chrz # Detroit Metro 4. Elijah Shalis # Paul Emery

5 5 Michigan delegation at the Fall Leadership & Trustee meeting in Louisville: l-r Compatriot Bernie Wagers, Beth Ruby, Compatriot Richard Steele, Pat Hough, Compatriot Gerald Burkland Paul Emery President, Gary Wooden, MISSAR Treasurer, John Critchett, and Western Michigan President, Jim Bergenham at the October 4th 2008 Board of Managers meeting held in Traverse City. Compatriots who attended the September organizational meeting of the new Huron Valley chapter

6 6 Color Guard presenting the colors at the Fall Leadership/Trustees meeting held in Louisville, Kentucky on September 25-27, 2008 GLD and SAR officers attending the GLD annual meeting held in Madison, Wisconsin on October 31-November 1, 2008

7 7 Huron Valley Chapter MISSAR President Ellis Olson presents the President of the new Huron Valley Chapter, David Critchett, the Chapter s Charter. A chapter meeting for the new Huron Valley Chapter was held on November 8 th at the Turner Senior Center in Ann Arbor (their permanent meeting place). There were close to 40 people at the meeting, including members from three local DAR chapters who were on hand to celebrate with the Chapter as MISSAR President, Ellis Olson, presented their Chapter s charter and chapter member certificates. There was a reporter from the Ann Arbor News in attendance to report on the evening s events. The Chapter held a holiday party at Weber s restaurant in Ann Arbor on December 3 rd ; the party was well attended The newly elected officers of the Chapter are: David Critchett is President John Critchett is Secretary John Peter Hamm is Treasurer Allen Treppa is Vice President Thomas Pleuss is Chaplain Thomas Foundation is Registrar Thomas Pleuss is BOM Member David Critchett is BOM Member Submitted by John Critchett *********************************************** River Raisin Chapter Members of the River Raisin Chapter, SAR met on Thursday evening, November 20, 2008 at the Family Kitchen Restaurant in Adrian, Michigan for a regular meeting of the Chapter. Chapter Secretary Doug Leffler conducted the meeting in the absence of Chapter President Wayne Carpenter, who was unable to attend. After conducting the Chapter business, a talk was given by Chapter Secretary Doug Leffler about the first Indian trading post in Jackson County, Michigan. The trading post was located in Henrietta Township, northeast of the City of Jackson and was established about 1815 by French trader Jean Baptiste Boreaux. Mr. Boreaux, like many other traders of the period, married an Indian woman. She was called Mary White and was the daughter of a local Indian chief. The trading post was operated by Mr. Boreaux until 1851 and he died in A nearby lake was named "Bateese Lake", a name taken from, albeit modified slightly from Boreaux's middle name Baptiste. A stone marker on Bunkerhill Road, (placed there in 1926 by the Jackson-based Sarah Treat Pruden Chapter of the DAR) still marks the spot where Boreaux had his trading post cabin. Donald Beebe is again heading a committee to provide Christmas stocking and supplies to veterans at the Veterans Hospital in Ann Arbor. Wayne Carpenter is assisting the Lucy Wolcott Barnum Chapter DAR in establishing a local CAR group in the Lenawee- Monroe County area. At the last meeting we had 19 prospective CAR members ranging in age from 5 to 17. The young people heard Bob Heft, the designer of the American 50 star flag. Later they visited the local Oakwood Cemetery and placed American flags on the graves of two Revolutionary War Soldiers. In December the young group will visit the Lenawee Historical Society museum. The next meeting of River Raisin Chapter will be Thursday, February 17th. Submitted by Wayne Carpenter ************************************************ Wreaths Across America On December 13 th wreaths were laid on the graves of America s defenders buried in cemeteries across the nation. A number of patriotic organizations participated in the events honoring those buried in the military cemeteries in Southeastern Michigan. In ceremonies at the Allied Veterans Cemetery in St. Clair County and at the Great Lakes Regional National Cemetery in Holly, the following were in attendance: (Continued on Page 10)

8 8 MICHIGAN SOCIETY SONS OF THE AMERI- CAN REVOLUTION BOARD OF MANAGERS MEETING TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2008 At a regular meeting of the Board of Managers of the Michigan Society of the Sons of the American Revolution was held on Saturday, October 4, 2008 at Ruby Tuesday Restaurant in Traverse City, Michigan beginning at 10:30 a.m. with the following Compatriots and guests present: Ellis Olson President Harry Robinson- 2 nd Vice President John Critchett Treasurer Richard Steele Secretary Bernie Wagers Chaplain Jim Bernengham Historian Walt Timoschuk Registrar Gerald Burkland National Trustee Charles Barr II Trustee Roger MacFarland Trustee Joseph Conger 1 st Vice President Joel Robinson Trustee Jim Waller DAR/CAR Liaison Gary Wooden Trustee Roger Benter guest Ervan Amidon guest Pat Hough guest State President Ellis Olson called the meeting to order and ordered the Color Guard under the command of Compatriot Gerry Burkland to present the Colors before the group. Chaplain Bernie Wagers gave the Pledge to the Flag and to the SAR, in addition to invocation. State Secretary Richard Steele presented the Minutes of the last meeting for the Board of Managers approval. No additions or corrections were made and stood approved as presented. State Treasurer John Critchett presented the Treasurer s Report to the Board of Managers. He denoted some refinement is needed to the present system which will be presented at the February Meeting. His report was received upon the motion of Compatriot Richard Steele and support of Compatriot Charles Barr II. Reports: 1. Secretary Richard Steele noted that we now have a membership of 317 members in good standing. 2. Compatriot James Waller gave a report concerning the activities of the SAR and the CAR. They, indeed, need our assistance in time, effort and funding. He did note that the Caddy Chapter was judged to be #2 in the nation. Finally, he indicated that we should be building better relations with the DAR and the CAR now and in the near future to improve our membership base. 3. Compatriot Bernie Wagers gave a report concerning the publication of the newsletter, THE WMM. He noted that the newsletter was now online for the Compatriots to read and review, in addition to advising the Board of Managers that the Membership Directory has been published and will be mailed to each Compatriot within the next few days. He passed out to the Board of Managers their directories. 4. Compatriot Charles Barr II noted that the Nominating Committee was in place with the membership of Charles Barr II, Gary Wooden and Donald Nutt, chairman. The slate of will be presented at the February meeting. 5. Compatriot Ellis Olson noted that we still needed to elect a first vice president to fill that position. Compatriot Richard Steele nominated Compatriot Joseph Conger of the Northern Michigan Chapter and he was elected to serve the Michigan Society in the position of 1 st Vice President, effective October 4, He was elected in due form. 6. President Ellis Olson made some remarks concerning: a. Chapters need to present programs of interest at Chapter meetings to meet the demands of Chapter Compatriots regardless as to whether or not they include a personal presentation. Power point presentations or DVD presentations are effective. Compatriots do not attend meetings just to hear reports. b. Committees should be meeting on a regular basis to improve the success level of the Michigan Society and Local Chapters. Compatriots should be working together to find ways to obtain new members, assist membership applicants, etc. c. Committees need to meet prior to Board of Managers Meetings and then report to the Board on their activities. No need to appoint people to committees if they are not getting together to do something. Compatriot Richard Steele made a presentation to rescind the original motion passed pertinent to the transfer of funds to

9 local chapters accepting former members of the C. J. Lansing Chapter. The original motion was to transfer all of the funds. Compatriot Richard Steele noted that the funds and assets of the defunct local chapter belongs to the Michigan Society in total and do not have to be transferred to local chapters. Compatriot Richard Steele, supported by Compatriot Gary Wooden made the motion to rescind the original motion. Discussion was had and the original motion was rescinded. Compatriot Richard Steele made the motion, supported by Gary Wooden to transfer one-half of the Lansing Chapter s assets to the State Treasury, and divide the remaining half among the various local chapters receiving former Lansing Chapter members. The half of the Lansing Chapter s assets transferred to the general fund would be used pay for the expenses of the newly formed Huron Valley Chapter, amounting to $ Discussion was had and Compatriot Bernie Wagers made an amendment to change the amount of funds going to the local chapters to the original amount of $ Amendment was defeated and the new motion was approved without amendment. Compatriot John Critchett noted he had received a bill from the Paul Emery Chapter regarding expenses incurred with the Lansing Chapter that needed to be paid. Motion was made to pay Paul Emery Chapter $ and approved. Compatriot Richard Steele presented a recommendation for the approval and establishment of the Huron Valley Chapter. with the MISSAR paying for the expenses created during the formation of said Chapter. Motion was supported by Compatriot John Critchett and passed without question or comment. Effective date of the establishment is 4 October Compatriot Richard Steele noted that the Crump letter had been forwarded to the Executive Director James Harris for his action and that he had contacted NSSAR Sales concerning the selling of cameras with the flag on the face. A fine lunch was served by the Ruby Tuesday wait-staff personnel. Compatriot Richard Steele gave a short presentation pertinent to the MISSAR and NSSAR application processing. The meeting adjourned with the Benediction 9 and the Recessional Pledge. Richard Steele MISSAR Secretary ***************************** Paul Emery Chapter The Paul Emery Chapter held their December meeting on Saturday, December 13 at the Veteran s Hospital in Saginaw MI. Afterward, the compatriots passed out gifts and Christmas cards to veterans in their hospital rooms. This is always one of the activities that our members look forward to and enjoy each year as we express our gratitude to the veterans for their service to our country. Our Compatriot Gerald Burkland was the invited guest at the November meeting of the Davison Historical Society which several of our chapter members attended as well as our State Secretary Richard Steele. Gerald shared with the historical society about Revolutionary Patriots who are buried in the state of Michigan and how many of them made their way to Michigan in the years following the Revolutionary War. Gerald received many questions after his presentation and I would like to commend him for his service in representing Paul Emery and the Michigan Society to our community. Compatriot Norm Allison and his lovely wife conducted meetings on the Revolutionary War in several elementary schools and found the children to be especially interested in his uniform and colonial history. At our October meeting he read several of the letters they had received from the children thanking them for coming to their school and for teaching them about our national history. The Allison s are a great asset to the chapter and the Michigan Society. I would like to thank our compatriot James Thompson for his help in contacting the Veterans in Flushing, Michigan who were instrumental in arranging for the placement of our plaque in the Flushing Veterans Memorial in the Flushing Cemetery commemorating the passengers of United Flight 93 and Todd Beamer, a Flushing native, who sacrificed their lives for our country on the fateful day of September 11, Originally the plaque was to be installed in the Veterans Memorial in downtown Flint, MI but due to unforeseen events that did not take place. The installation ceremony is scheduled for Memorial Day 2009 in Flushing, MI. Gary Wooden President, Paul Emery Chapter MISSAR

10 Report on the NSSAR Great Lakes District meeting 31 Oct-01 Nov, 2008 Madison, WI. Michigan Compatriots attending the GLD meeting this year were MISSAR State President Ellis Olsen with his wife Sandy, and Gerald Burkland MISSAR Nat'l Trustee. Joining the Michigan delegation were Compatriots from Wisconsin, Illinois, along with Compatriots from other State Societies. There were thirty-seven SAR members with guests in attendance. There was good participation in the GLD Color Guard, and all members had a good time. Wisconsin Compatriot, VPG Russell Buhr, led the meeting. GLD members voted and endorsed the NSSAR candidates for NSSAR National office. NSSAR PG David Appleby spoke about the status of the new headquarters, as well as other NSSAR issues of importance. He was emphatic that, during this presidential election year the NSSAR must stay nonpolitical to maintain the Society s non-profit status. The Ladies in attendance enjoyed a tour of local sites and were a delight to have at the meetings. For further information visit the Wisconsin GLD website. Gerald Burkland Nat'l Trustee ***************************************** From the editor Winter is here! It seems as if one day it was nice and warm and the next day there was snow on the ground. I trust my fellow Compatriots got more of their fall chores completed than I did. In this issue you find the conclusion of the article on Admiral de Grasse. Admiral de Grasse died before America could properly show its appreciation for his support of America s fight for liberty. Congress did help his children in a monetary way when they came to Charlestown, South Carolina to live. I attended my first Fall Leadership/Trustee meeting, which was held on September It was really a thrill to be part of an honor guard as large as the one that participated in the Friday evening events. After dinner, I found myself talking to a member of the French SAR who, if I understood correctly, was a descendent of Lafayette. He was very interested in my frontier dress, and particularly my.45 caliber Kentucky Long Rifle that I was carrying. I must apologize for being a little late with this issue of the WMM. I had outgrown the space that I was using as my computer room, so a wall was knocked down and a portion of the garage was finished off to increase the 10 space available for the computer, printers, supplies, and software. I moved into the new room last weekend. This meant that I was unable to use the computer for several days. I am up and running again but everything is a disorganized mess. I can t find anything!!! Compatriot Charles Barr, Secretary for the Northern Michigan Chapter has faithfully mailed me the minutes of that Chapter s meeting on a timely basis. Unfortunately, while moving I have misplaced the ones he sent for the fall meeting. I will include them in the next issue of the WMM. The new Huron Valley chapter is off to a great start. Hats off to the Compatriots who made it happen. I was saddened to receive word of Compatriot Jim Bergenham s serious health issues. Jim and I have gotten to know each other fairly well since he became President of the Western Michigan chapter. He has become an active participant in the MISSAR honor guard, wearing period dress of a statesman. I know I speak for the rest of the MISSAR Compatriots in wishing him a full and speedy recovery. Keep Jim in your prayers. That about does it for this issue. As always, I ask chapter secretaries to send me chapter information before February 28th, May the Lord bless you and keep you safe during this holiday season: Until March..Bernie ******************************************* (Continued from Page 7) DAR state officers as well as chapter members from Ezra Parker, Lydia Barnes, and Stoney Creek SAR state officers and Compatriots from Oaks, Huron Valley, and Paul Emery Chapters CAR Elias Cady chapter members Mason Lodges from Milford, South Lyon, Walled Lake, Fenton, Linden, Farmington Hills Boy Scouts and Explorers from the Clinton Valley, and Blue Water Councils Girl Scouts American Legion Members Sons of the American Legion American Legion Auxiliary Sons of the VFW Cadet 1 st Lt. Shawn Polite, winner of the SAR ROTC award for the year 2008 was in attendance with his family By no means is this list all-inclusive; other groups were also represented as well. It becomes clear by reading this list that Wreath Across America has become an important event as Americans honor those who defended their freedom. Between the two cemeteries mentioned above over 1100 wreaths were placed. Even though it was bitterly cold, over 300 people were in attendance at the ceremony held at the Great Lakes Nat l Cemetery. Compatriot Walter Timoschuk will be heading the SAR involvement in this great project next year. If you have an interest in assisting him, don t hesitate to contact him. B. Wagers assisted by Walter Timoschuk

11 THE WOLVERINE MINUTEMAN PHOTO ALBUM ALBUM CONTAINING PHOTOS OF CONTAINING MISSAR ACTIVITIES PHOTOS OF MISSAR FROM ACTIVITIES SEPTEMBER FROM 2008 February 2007 thru May 2007

12 Compatriot Gerald Burkland in front of the SAR headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky Compatriot Bernie Wagers without his buckskins in front of the SAR headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky Judge Edward F. Ed Butler Sr. from Texas. Compatriot Butler will serve as President General of the SAR in

13 2 MISSAR honor guard members in attendance at the BOM meeting that took place in Traverse City on October 4th, 2008 Maps auctioned off by the Northern Michigan chapter to raise funds for their activities. Maps were donated by Compatriot Ervan L. Amidon Lunch Break during the October 4th Board of Managers meeting

14 3 Photos taken at the November 8th meeting of the Huron Valley chapter

15 Scenes from Wreaths across America ceremonies held in Southeastern Michigan on December 13th, 2008

16 2 MISSAR President Ellis Olson with Compatriot Wes McMichael West Michigan chapter Compatriots attending the September 13th, 2008 meeting West Michigan chapter president with MISSAR president, Ellis Olson