The SAR MAGAZINE is the official quarterly publication of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution published quarterly.
Issue link: http://sar.epubxp.com/i/109748
Patricia hails. Of course, the three of them bantered a bit in French. WASHINGTON SOCIETY The guest speaker at the October meeting was Daniel Piazza, curator at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. His remarks centered in the importance of the post during the Colonial and Revolutionary eras. He shared pictures of some of the museum's treasures, including one of the few red proofs of the 1765 stamp tax that was used to implement the Stamp Act. In November, the guest speaker was Alexandria journalist and author Michael Lee Pope. He described some of the important events leading up to the incorporation of Alexandria into the District of Columbia and its eventual retrocession to Virginia. The chapter was unanimous in its approval of retrocession. Richard P. "Dick" Kusserow, former inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was honored with the S.A.R. Law Enforcement Commendation Medal. On Veterans Day, the chapter joined the Kate Waller Barrett Chapter NSDAR for a wreath laying at the tomb of Gen. George Washington at Mount Vernon. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Emily Elston, president of the "Light Horse Harry" Lee Society, N.S.C.A.R. The wreath was presented by retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Paul Wagoner and U.S. Army Lt. Col. Gregory Bodge. The VASSAR Color Guard supported the event by leading the members to the tomb and standing guard during the ceremony. Throughout the day, hundreds of veterans, SAR and DAR members and their families presented carnations to honor Washington. Williamsburg Chapter Nicolas Fresneau, a French tourist and member of an SAR chapter in France, recently visited Williamsburg. Williamsburg SAR Chapter President Ed Truslow showed Nicholas and his wife, Patricia, around Williamsburg, and Compatriot Ben Fegan showed them around Jamestown and Yorktown. Fresneau's ancestor was Chevalier Henri Dominique de Palys who was at Yorktown. De Palys was a royal engineer and was part of a battalion under Col. Jean Nicholas Desandroins, who prepared the map the Williamsburg Chapter used for its SAR Green Spring Battlefield sign. Fegan showed them that battlefield area and the battlefield sign before they journeyed to the Yorktown Battlefield. The Fresneaus were delighted to watch a performance of Colonial Williamsburg's "Marquis de Lafayette," Mark Schneider. Schneider is fluent in French; his mother was from a French village not far from where 40 The WASSAR Color Guard marched as unit No. 148 in the famous Auburn Veterans Day Parade, purported to be the largest such parade in the West. There were 184 units, 5,500 participants and more than 10,000 veterans, families and onlookers. The weather was perfect. The SAR banner was carried by WASSAR President Jim Lindley and Alexander Hamilton Chapter President Darrell Holt. The color guard was made up of Cdr. Bob O'Neal bearing the Betsy Ross flag, Capt. Doug Nelson with the SAR flag and Dave Gaddis with the Washington State flag. They were flanked by guards Lt. John Herr and retired U.S. Navy Sr. Chief Mick Hersey armed with period muskets. *** There is a onethird-sized replica of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in a cemetery in Bremerton, a Navy town. The city was responsible for its upkeep but had let the cemetery and the tomb fall into disrepair, cutting only the grass that had begun to cover many of the brass grave markers. Bremerton resident Todd Best and Josh Fisher, a young architect, designed a new setting for the tomb, led a major cleanup and got donations of time and materials to renovate the area. A rededication was held in September with more than 200 people attending, including family members, veterans, representatives of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army recruiters and a JROTC Color Guard. The featured speaker was Capt. Thom Burke of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. Patriot Riders on their Harley-Davidson motorcycles lined the entrance roads with flags. John Paul Jones Chapter President Doug Nelson and Bob O'Neil served as "patriot guards" and stood watch in the tomb area 30 minutes before and after the ceremony. Seven sailors fired three rifle volleys. O'Neil played "Taps." The beautiful new setting of the tomb features a walk designed in the familiar shape of the yellow ribbons we wear for our military, the green of grass, the marble white of the tomb—pure and clean—and the plaque with its inscription: "Here rests in glory an American soldier known but to God." SAR MAGAZINE