Speech: Given on Memorial Day 2013 at the Tomb of General John A. Logan founder of Memorial Day

Logan graveside ceremony 2013

Brothers of the SUVCW and Guest

     We are gathered at the graveside of General John A. "Black Jack" Logan to pay our respects and give thanks for his service to our nation in its time of greatest need. General Logan was a man of great passions, foremost of which was his love for our Constitution and Republic. General Logan believed in the fight to preserve the Union and he defended it with every ounce of strength he could provide. An example of this passion, for the republic and our Constitutional system can be found in an 1863 speech, given at Duquoin, Illinois, which was aimed at convincing citizens of the western states and territories to quote " Quit your quarreling. Be for your Government in spite of what anybody may say . . . be for the Union right or wrong." Tell people you are for the success of the United States army and navy, no matter who is President -- no matter what men are in the Cabinet, or who are in the majority in Congress . . . say you are for the Union.

     General Logan was also fiercely loyal to the soldiers the soldiers who fought for the Union and the Veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic. We all know of his order number eleven on May 5th 1868 to the posts of the GAR, which set the precedent for Memorial Day. In that order General Logan told us to never allow avarice to diminish our commitment to tell the story men who preserved the Union that he so deeply cherished.

     To ensure that our history be taught to all Americans and that the story remained unblemished and faithful to the truth. To ensure this General Logan took up the call to provide education to our youth. Logan stated that nations are counted great and remembered chiefly for two things-- wisdom and power: the former the property of the few; the latter the property of the many, though wielded by the few. Only by creating a system of public school who provide the emphasis necessary to empower our children to lead the nation.

     Clearly, General Logan had a long range outlook and the passion to see his beliefs fulfilled. He once said "I have entered the field to die, if need be, for this government, and never return to peaceful pursuits until this war of preservation has become a fact established. " I believe that this quote could be used to describe not only the physical Civil war fighting but also the General Logan's fight to ensure the memory of the soldiers and the fight to educate our youth.

May we be as faithful to the cause as he was.

Thank you for allowing me this time to speak about General Logan. May God Grant his peace to the soul of General Logan and may God grant us the courage and dedication to carry on with his missions in our time.

Poem: "Eternal Love"

Wedding bells rang in a harmonious consonance. 

The sun shone bright in a deep blue sky

Sunlight sang as it passed through glass and space

A shimmering gown the symbol of purity and grace.

What beauty, what grandeur,  all  senses inflamed

Unsurpassed happiness, rapturous moment, content and serene

Love has found victory in spite of all odds.

 

Written by Mark R. Day 5/22/13.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 5/22/13, all rights reserved

 

 

Poem: Rock and Water

Photo by Peyton Bond.  Copyright by Peyton Bond 5/20/13 all rights reserved

 

Grey rivulets wash and smooth the surface of the stone. The undulating water speeding quickly and then slowing its pace creates ripples of white, which splash to and fro.

So Serene and peaceful that the human eye and heart are made one with the rhythm of the cascade.

 

The beauty of nature immerses the soul and sooths the drum beat of a hectic world, allowing for the moment a memory of the primeval origins of life, the respite from reality so longed for by us all.

 

Poem written by Mark R. Day 5/20/13.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 5/20/13 all rights reserved

Speech "On My Election to the Post of Commander of the Department of the Chesapeake"

4 May 2013

Brothers of the Department of the Chesapeake, friends, and guest.

I am both overwhelmed and honored that you have chosen to elect me to the post of Department Commander.    My journey to this moment began many years ago when; I applied to join the Department of Maryland’s Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Camp in Roanoke, Va.  However it was my transfer to the forming Taylor-Wilson Camp in Lynchburg that really sparked my interest and involvement in the Sons of Union Veterans.

At my first meeting with the Taylor-Wilson Camp, I meet the man who has been an inspiration, friend, mentor, and father figure to me, Dr. Clifton Potter.  Clif had a passion for the SUVCW and he instiled that passion within me.  Unable to go to the Department Encampment, Clif offered me the opportunity to attend as the Taylor-Wilson delegate.  I was unsure and had no idea of what a delegate to the encampment was supposed to do, wet behind the ears, but it was at this encampment that, I first meet Mike Paquette; Gene Mortorff, Keith Young, Andy Johnson and many other amazing brothers who greeted me befriended me, counseled me, and educated me in the order

My head spun in the rush of events that unfolded and at the end of the encampment, I found myself a delegate to the National Encampment in Harrisburg, PA.  To say the least things were happening quickly, but my father always said that the best way to learn a thing was to just jump in, so that is what I decided to do.  I was in Harrisburg that Steve Hammond took me under tow and saw that I learned the ropes of the national encampment, successfully found the Saturday banquet, and gave me one of the most interesting rides of my life through the streets of Harrisburg. 

In the years following that first encampment, I just tried to be true to the examples of personal conduct inculcated in our SUVCW motto: Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty. For these had been the characteristics shown to me by each of the brothers who mentored and befriended me.

So, now I stand here before the delegates of my eighth department encampment, elected to the post of Department Commander.  I am humbled by the confidence that you have shown in my ability to move our department forward in the next year and I am ready to serve both you and your camps in anyway and at any time.  I look forward to sharing in your ceremonies and meetings, I look forward to meeting those of you I have not had the opportunity to meet before, and I look forward to working with you to ensure a successful and a bright future for the Department of the Chesapeake.

Brothers if we are faithful to the words fraternity, charity, and loyalty, we will always be true to our purpose to honor the memory of our ancestors and to preserve the history of our great nation. 

May god grant you safe travel as you leave this place, May God grant us the spirit to preserver in our cause, and May God grant his grace and peace to our homeland the United States of America.

Poem: "The Healing Power of Grace"

Overcoming the sorrow of a loss requires an open and loving heart.

Once our heart is open; love calls forth the power of our spirits and the Grace of God enters in.

Our belief in "Grace" serves to calm the passions stirring within our soul, and tender kindness finds a foothold upon which healing can commence.

Through "Grace" we are sustained!
Through "Grace" we are sustained!

"Grace" will overthrow the darkness and end the knighted day.

The cloud of pain shall be dispersed and the veiled twilight no longer shall retain its hold.

For when the light spills forth its warmth we are the children of "Grace" and light is where we will find our hope.


Written by Mark R. Day on 4/6/13 and Copyrighted by Mark R.Day 4/6/13, all rights reserved.

"This work is written in memory of one of my students, Jessica Erin Hart, who passed away on Friday 4/5/13.  Jessica was a wonderful, bright, and musically talented young lady who will be missed by her friends and teachers at Liberty High School in Bedford, VA.

Speech: Medal of Honor Remembrance Ceremony in Burkettsville, Maryland on 23 March 2013

Speech for Medal of Honor Remembrance Ceremony in Burkettsville, Maryland on 23 March 2013

Mayor, Special Guest, Brothers of the Antietam Camp #3,  Ladies and Gentlemen.

Let me first bring greetings from the Department Commander, Jeff French.  I know that Jeff would have loved to be here today; to participate in this wonderful ceremony, but work and distance have made that impossible for him.  On his behalf let me convey, to the members of the Antietam Camp #3, the thanks of the Department leadership for the hard work and dedication they have shown in conducting this annual Medal of Honor Remembrance Service.

The Medal of Honor has been awarded to more than 3,400 American servicemen and women since it was conceived by Lt Colonel Edward D. Townsand  in the fall of 1861and instituted in the Naval Service under the leadership of Secretary of Navy Gideon Welles; by a resolution of Congress in December of 1861.

The Medal of Honor is the highest award our nation can bestow on a serviceman or woman and it signifies the pride our nation holds for its citizen soldiers, sailors, and airmen.  The two individual we are honoring today, 1^st Lt George W. hooker and Private James Allen provide us with the true nature of the type of individuals who have been awarded the Medal of Honor.   One is a son of Massachusetts and the other a son of Ireland.  They were both born into nations which value  freedom from tyranny and when called upon to defend the union and the ideals of freedom they left all that was dear and precious to fight in the noble cause. 

Therefore it is only fitting that we the decedents of the same tradition of freedom remember these our brothers in arms who serve d with gallantry and honor on the blood soaked fields of the Civil War and who without pause or thought to personal safety went forth in gallantry and honor to ensure the preservation of our great nation and the ultimate victory of freedom for all men.

Thank you for your attention

God bless the souls of these two brave men and God bless the United States of America 

 

 

Poem: "A Fitting Tribute at Last"

Steady, Strong, and Substantial
The word proclaimed in stone

The message a call to remembrance
a heartful hymn of thanks

Steady, Strong, and Substantial
The word proclaimed in stone

All honor and great glory
to those who are proclaimed

Steady, Strong, and Substantial
The word proclaimed in stone

Long shout their feats of daring
and prove courage was displayed

Steady, Strong, and Substantial
The word proclaimed in stone

Between the dawning and evening
announce what they have done.


Written by Mark R. Day 3/17/2013.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 3/17/2013, all rights reserved

This simple verse came to mind as I thought of the monument dedicated at Bentonville Battlefield in North Carolina.  The Stone is the monument and the proclamation is the listing of the men who fought.