Saturday morning, May 19th, found the Virginia Flaggers gathered on the Boulevard for a special day of flagging. There was a parade held, to honor our veterans, and the reviewing stand was right in front of the VMFA .
This young man walked up to us and showed us his backpack that had been in combat with him. On it was pinned a Confederate flag. He said he had it on there the whole time he was in Iraq. He asked to take a picture with our flag.
By the time the parade stepped off, a good crowd had gathered! The folks were OVERWHELMINGLY supportive and we ran out of literature...TWICE and had to go back to our vehicles for more!
The parade was GREAT and the participants were very friendly to us, waving and thanking us for being there, as we thanked them for their service.
Kudos to the City of Richmond for putting on this parade to welcome home returning vets and thank those who served before them. It gave us a GREAT opportunity to talk to folks about how the VMFA had DISHONORED American Vets by removing the Battle Flag from the Confederate War Memorial/Pelham Chapel.
RETURN the flags! RESTORE the honor!
More photos can be viewed here... http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150768162319274.462130.698334273&type=3&l=707eaf6108
Video Clip here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmPTnLMFWLo&feature=youtu.be
After lunch, we headed over to Gaines Mill battlefield, where The Virginia Flaggers attended the dedication of the Hood's Texas Brigade Monument. It was a beautiful, breezy afternoon and a VERY Confederate event. :)
Hats off to the Hood's Texas Brigade Association Re-Activated, for securing and placing the monument, and the Richmond Battlefield Association for providing the land, after the National Park Service refused to allow its placement on National Park land at Gaines Mill. Boy Scouts from the Stonewall Jackson Council provided assistance to visitors and represented their Council well! The Cap. William Latane Color Guard, SCV, presented the colors, and a plane flew overhead before the ceremony, sponsored by 10 TX businessmen, with a message for participants.
We received messages and phone calls from folks ALL OVER RICHMOND who saw the banner plane and wanted to know if the Va Flaggers had anything to do with it! What a GREAT message to be seen flying over the Capitol of the Confederacy, especially in light of the decidedly anti-Confederate Sesquicentennial commemoration that Richmond has been subject to thus far.
A beautiful ceremony, and a lasting tribute to the men of Hood's Texas Brigade. LEST WE FORGET!!
Photo album here...
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150973057819274.477887.698334273&type=3&l=2840bdabfc
Video of Confederate Air Force here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PDtHCK6aho&feature=youtu.be
Video of the Wm. Latane Camp, SCV Color Guard here...
http://youtu.be/LYRT-c_X77w
Little did we know...that while we were at Gaines Mill, one of our Flaggers was scoring a HUGE victory in Haralson County, GA....
Haralson County, GA, Courthouse. 1856 US flag inside. Billy Bearden is offended!
So, in the county seat in Buchanan, Billy says... don't be all one sided! Share some Confederate History, too!
So, Billy asks and receives permission to hang a Confederate Flag inside...FOREVER!!!!
More photos here... http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3620684154024.2146808.1181542610&type=1
Another reminder that Flaggers should always be on the lookout for ways to advance the colors and promote our Heritage!
Upcoming events:
May 28th: 10:00 a.m. - Confederate Memorial Service at the Confederate War Memorial/Pelham Chapel.
May 28th: 10:30 a.m. - Fredericksburg, Flagging the Memorial Day Procession. http://blogs.fredericksburg.com/pastisprologue/2012/05/10/memorial-day-procession-planned-in-fredericksburg/
May 28th: 2:00 p.m. - Annual Confederate Memorial Service at Hugenot Springs Confederate Cemetery, Powhatan County, just off Route 60 on Hugenot Springs Road. Guest speaker, CIC Michael Givens. Bagpipe band, rifle and cannon salute, light refreshments. Free and open to the public. Contact Jim Cochrane at 'jimmyc825@aol.com', for info or to place a wreath.
May 28th: The Dearing-Beauregard Camp #1813 will host its 14th Annual Memorial Day Service on Memorial Hill in Historic Blandford Cemetery at 319 South Crater Road, Petersburg, Virginia at 3:00 p.m. This year’s keynote speaker will be Mr. Patrick Falci, portrayed Lt. General A.P. Hill in the movie “Gettysburg”. Music will be performed by noted Southern Singer and Songwriter Stan Clardy. There will be a wreath laying ceremony and Color Guard. Period Attire is encouraged. This year’s service is in honor of G. W. Slifer of the Stonewall Brigade, Co. G, 2nd Virginia Infantry. A grave dedication will be held at 2:00 p.m. at the grave site. For additional information please contact Bill James at 804-520-1793 or wmejames@comcast.net.
June 2nd: Confederate President Jeff Davis' 204th birthday anniversary at 9:00 a.m., Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia. Bagpipe band, musicans, porta johns, folding chairs, free ice water and light refreshments, donations cheerfully accepted. Rifle and cannon salutes. Guest speaker Michael Givens. Ceremonial flags, with certificate, available for donation. To participate or to place a wreath contact Jim Cochrane at 'jimmyc825@aol.com. For further information or to make donations, contact Everette Ellis at 'rebel.yonder2@verizon.net'. Free programs and souviner ribbons available. Free and open to the public.
There will be an SCV National Medal Of Honor bestowal on Pvt. Lawrence Berry, 3rd Company, Washington Artillery, Louisianna, on Saturday, June 2nd, Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia, in conjuction with the Jeff Davis service. CIC Michael Givens will present the award to a representative of the Petersburg Siege Museum, who will place the award on permanent display at the museum. Pvt. Berry is known as the 'Hero Of Fort Gregg', for his action on April 2, 1865, which allowed General Robert E. Lee to withdraw his Confederate forces in an orderly manner from the Petersburg battlefield. Click here to view a color image of Pvt. Berry or click here to view a short article about Pvt. Berry. The research for this project was done by past 1st Lt. Commander, Virginia Division, Mike Thomas, and also John Henry Taylor, of the Robert E. Lee Camp in Midlothian. Both compatriots will be participating in the presentation.
FOLLOWING the service, we are calling on ALL Flaggers, and all Confederates to gather at the VMFA for a MASS FLAGGING for the rest of the day.
June 9th: 147th Consecutive Annual..."9th of June" Ceremony at Blandford Church Confederate Memorial Shrine, Petersburg, Virginia. Blandford Cemetery, Crater Road, Petersburg, Virginia. Time is 5:00 PM. Free.
June 30: Point Lookout Confederate Cemetery Pilgrimage. http://www.plpow.com/DOPL_2012pilgrimage.pdf
July 22: Please join us at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, July 22, 2012 in Stonewall Confederate Cemetery (located within Mount Hebron Cemetery) in Winchester, Virginia when the Texas Division Children of the Confederacy will dedicate a 10 1/2 ft.,"150 Years of Remembrance" Memorial Monument honoring six (6) Texas Confederate soldiers. The top of the monument will feature a 12 inch stainless steel star which is being made in Austin, TX. The star will be shipped to Virginia to be placed on top of the monument which will serve as a perpetual memorial to the men who served from the Lone Star State. The monument is the President's Project of Miss Kassidi Woodlock, President, 2011-2012, The Texas Division Children of the Confederacy.
September 15: 9th Annual Richard "Dick" Poplar Day at 11:30 a.m. Memorial Hill, Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg, Virginia
Look for more details on these and many other Confederate events planned in the coming months!
More info. can also be found on our public FaceBook page, "Confederate Flaggers: Stand, Fight, and Never Back Down".
http://www.facebook.com/groups/ConfederataeFlaggers/
Follow me on Twitter
https://twitter.com/#!/VaFlagger
Sincerely,
Susan Hathaway
Va Flaggers
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