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/258013
34 SAR MAGAZINE MISSISSIPPI SOCIETY Members of the Oxford, Miss.-based Daniel McKie Chapter sponsored a memori- al service for Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 17, 2013. Baron von Steuben, a Prussian officer, came to America in 1777 to lend a hand to the new American republic. He transformed the American forces from a rag- tag group of militiamen to a professional fighting force and because of his efforts is considered to be the "Father of the Continental Army." About 35 people attended the ceremony, which was organized by Compatriot Danny Toma, a foreign ser- vice officer with the U.S. Department of State who is assigned to the American Embassy in Berlin as chief of the consular section. His sons, Nicolae, Mimmo and Patrick, also are SAR mem- bers and were on hand to lay the wreath. Representatives of the VFW, the U.S. Defense Attache's Office, the Berlin Historical Association, and the German Foreign Ministry also participated on the cool but sunny fall afternoon. The monument is in an area that was once home to the U.S. Berlin Brigade during the Cold War, and Toma's speech drew parallels between von Steuben's assis- tance in the American fight for freedom and the American role in bringing lib- erty to all of Germany, since the spot on which the stat- ue stands is less than 5 miles from the site of the Berlin Wall. NEBRASKA SOCIETY The NESSAR at its 2013 Fall State Meeting presented the SAR Fire Safety Commendation Award to Lincoln, Neb., firefighter Andrew McLaughlin. McLaughlin served as an active duty U.S. Marine deployed in Afghanistan prior to joining the City of Lincoln Fire & Rescue Department. He was nominated for the award by Fire Chief Tim Linke. NORTH CAROLINA SOCIETY Gen. George Washington Chapter Following several years of discussion and months of earnest planning, the General George Washington Chapter of the NCSSAR held a wonderful grave- marking ceremony for Maj. Benjamin May at a small, family-owned cemetery in Farmville, N.C. Leadership support of the NCSSAR and surrounding chapters contributed to the effort. Representatives of the SAR Foundation, NCSSAR, five SAR chapters, local DAR and C.A.R. chapters joined the ceremony. In all, 138 people attended, many of them descen- dants. The Combined NCSSAR Color Guard under the leadership of State Color Guard Commander retired U.S. Army Maj. Richard D. Bishop posted the colors, provided honor guards and retired the colors. Other chapters repre- sented were: Alamance Battleground, Halifax Resolves, le Marquis de Lafayette, Lower Cape Fear and Mecklenburg. Retired U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. George Strunk, the General George Washington Chapter president, was master of ceremonies and thanked everyone who contributed to the success of the event. NCSSAR officers, Combined Color Guard, and General George Washington Chapter members. Pictured are Bruce Wright (bagpip- er), Rev. Clark Wiser (State Society chaplain), Ken Wilson (State Society NE District VP), Sam Powell (SAR Foundation presi- dent), Jim Wood (State Society president), Guy Higgins (General George Washington Color Guard commander), John Thornhill (Past State Society president), Vice President General Steve Pittard (South Atlantic District), and Ron Jones, James Blaylock and Bill Pryor (General George Washington Chapter members) and, kneeling, Dick Bishop (State Color Guard commander). Not pic- tured but also present were Ed Gill (General George Washington Chapter member), Bob Newton (General George Washington Chapter member), George Strunk (General George Washington Chapter president), Charles Yard (State Society sr. VP), and Charlie Alligood, Bill Tilghman and Dan Wagner (General George Washington Chapter members). Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben statue. WINTER_14_sar26-40.indd 34 2/4/14 11:28 AM