Is anyone interested in taking a trip to Fort Recovery this Autumn?
On 4 November 1791, the United States Army suffered one of their worst defeats in history near the present-day Indiana/Ohio border. The infantry and militia under General Arthur St. Clair were conducting a punitive campaign against the Native Nations in the region, when those nations- led by Little Turtle and Blue Jacket- decided to bring the campaign to a premature conclusion. 70% of the U.S. force and support personnel were killed on site, many of them Revolutionary War veterans. The overall casualty rate was more than 97%, among the worst in U.S. Army history.
General Anthony Wayne would later build Fort Recovery at the site of St. Clair's defeat. The battle is largely forgotten, except among military historians.
The Fort Recovery museum is planning a battlefield walk on Sunday, 24 October 2021, to commemorate the 230th anniversary. It is a two hour walk led by historians. This might be an opportune time to visit, but we must register for the event, and no one has yet been able to tell me how to register. If we have a group that would like to attend, I could let them know we're coming. We could also pick another date and simply explore the area on our own.
Here are the decisions of the 31 July House of Delegates, concerning the District Vice President structure, and the realignment of Chapters.
The House of Delegates voted to approve five (5) Indiana districts to replace the existing four (4). See the attached map titled “Indiana SAR Districts”.
The Indiana Chapters have been realigned to match the new District Structure. Please see the file titled “Indiana SAR Chapter and District Alignment.” This file is exported from the State Website.
State Vice President Vink has written a job description for the District Vice Presidents. Please see the file titled “Job Description – District Vice Presidents.”
The District Vice Presidents have been approved by the House of Delegates and aligned with a District. In addition, the State Color Guard Commander has assigned Area Color Guard Commanders to these same districts. These assignments are:
District 1: VP Steve Oberlin; ACG CDR Jeffrey Stratton
District 2: VP Pat Cave; ACG CDR (Vacant)
District 3: VP Dr. Tom Whiteman; ACG CDR Mark Kreps
District 4: VP Randy Helderman; ACG CDR Randy Helderman
District 5: VP Allen Manning; ACG CDR Ed Hitchcock
I would like to announce two items of Committee News:
Our Special Committee "Americanism and Flag Recognition" has been separated into two distinct committees. They are called (obviously enough) "Americanism" and "Flag Recognition."
The Committee Chair for both committees will be Kevin Cullen of the William Henry Harrison Chapter. He can be contacted at: irishhiker@aol.com
My goal for Kevin and the Americanism committee is to focus our State resources on assisting Chapters with strong support for Youth Programs and Community Service. I will ask Kevin to forgo a State "Americanism" accounting, and instead focus on working with Chapters to set up a program to track community service hours, donations, and Youth Program events. Our goal is to give back to our communities and provide educational resources, our time, and our donations.
I would like to thank George Frantz for his years of service on this committee and welcome Kevin Cullin to the State Leadership Team.
The Clifty Creek Chapter will conduct a Patriot Grave Marking on 13 June 2021 for Patriot's Jethro New and John Story at the Vernon Cemetery, 315 S Pike St, Vernon, IN. Please let us know if you want to present a wreath or participate in the ceremony in some fashion. Color Guard participants are especially welcome.
I would like to announce the appointment of a Special State Committee named "Chapter Governance." The committee will be chaired by Compatriot Pat Cave Jr., who is also our 1st District Vice President. The objective of this committee is to review Indiana Chapter Constitution and Bylaws defining documents to determine their alignment with National and State governing documents. This scope includes identifying, suggesting, and following up on necessary Chapter defining document changes. This committee is charged with providing a schedule of activities at the next Executive Committee meeting on 8 June, along with a timeline for completion of the committee activities. The members of this special committee are:
Pat Cave Jr. (Chairman)
Wayne Eells
William Behnke
Comments and feedback are freely encouraged from the membership to the committee chair. Compatriot Cave can be reached at: pamacajr@att.net. Thanks
Compatriots: I have appointed Kevin Cullen as the committee lead for the Flag Recognition and Americanism Committees. Please see the note I sent to him below.
Jeff
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I would like to sincerely thank you for volunteering as an Indiana State SAR Society committee lead. The specific committee you volunteered for (Flag and Americanism) is actually two separate committees. These are: “Flag Recognition” and “Americanism.” Your willingness to lead these committees are a strong statement of your support for the SAR and your willingness to contribute your time and your efforts to our Society.
I have the following contact information on file for you:
Compatriot Frank Kevin Cullen
National Number: 116565
518 Perrin Avenue
Lafayette, IN 47904-2655
Cell: (765) 429-6247
Email: irishhiker@aol.com
Your two committees fall within our Outreach and Patriotism categories. Our State SAR strives to support the National SAR Patriotic Goals. Your committees are aligned with that support. Here are the National goals:
We will work tirelessly to inspire the community with the principles on which our nation was founded.
We strive to maintain and extend the institutions of American freedom.
We will work to carry out the promises expressed in the Preamble to the Constitution.
We shall provide recognition for public service.
This organization shall strive to honor, respect, and support the sacrifices of our veterans, especially those confined to residential and hospital facilities provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
I will follow this note of appreciation with specific information on each committee.
Thank you again. Your volunteerism is sincerely appreciated.
of Sweetser
