Short Remarks for the Sons of Confederate Veterans Reunion, Franklin Tn, 19 July 2018

Good morning, I am Mark R. Day Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (Use if a formal introduction is not made.)

Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, I bring you the greetings of the members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, who extend their best wishes to you for a productive and harmonious reunion.

I am honored to have been invited to join you this morning to make a few short remarks and to once more show that a fraternal spirit, as evidenced in  our  common goals of preserving the history surrounding the Civil War and honoring the valor dedication and  self-sacrifice of our ancestors,  is never lost or forgotten.

These are challenging times for both of our organizations.  We find ourselves living in a world that seems, at times, to be turned upside down and unrecognizable from that into which we were born.

Bob Dylan once sang the words “The Times They are a Changing.” Never has that been truer than today. The future is revealing itself and change is occurring  at an ever increasing pace; it is important that our two organizations do everything in our power to keep the memory of our ancestors present in the minds of our fellow citizens.

Years ago at the SUVCW National Encampment in St Louis, one of your previous Commander-in-Chiefs made a statement, that our two organizations need to work together where possible and whenever possible; because if they didn’t both organizations would find themselves irrelevant and fail to achieve their goals.

I believe he was right.  We must seek to find those projects in which we have a common interest, and I believe this can be accomplished if we focus on the men who fought the war; our honored ancestors.

1.   We should promote their memory and ensure that the Civil War is taught in our children’s classrooms

2.   We should work to ensure that all veterans monuments are protected and preserved

3.   We must inculcate the citizens of our country on the story of the sacrifices that were made by the common soldier

4.   We must work to maintain the graves of the fallen and teach remembrance to our own children

I believe all these things are achievable, they must be achievable for the benefit of both organizations.

I want to again thank the Leadership of the Sons Confederate Veterans for this opportunity to speak to this reunion and want each of you to know that, I appreciate the hospitality you have provided me and the warmth and kindness you have shown this weekend. 

May God Bless each of you and may he bless our country.