The new fiscial year for Sons of Confederate Veterans begins each August 1st. Membership renewal dues must be paid to HQ by August 31 to avoid a late charge of $5. Checks should be made to Sons of Confederate Veterans.
What can members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans do to make use of their membership? Here are a few ideas.
1. Identify and record locations of the graves of Confederate veterans in your area. Even though Camp 1440 is not in the South, we have already identified several veteran graves in the area, e.g., Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose. A former General rests in the Oakland Cemetery, and we supplied him with a tombstone for his unmarked grave several years ago. Confederate reenactors (of which I was one) fired shots over his grave.
The San Francisco Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy has good records of the vets and where they lie, we can ask for their help,
2. Write articles and/or make films about the vets identified in #1 above, publish for the education and information of the public and other interested parties. I am looking into making YouTube videos of some interesting vets that we have identified so far. I have adequate camera equipment and video editing software on hand for this purpose.
3. Repair damaged graves and tombstones. This will require permissions and expertise, so don't go off trying this on your own. I will post a separate article about this soon. The major concern is weathered tombstones that become black with vegetation over time, or develop hard water stains that are very difficult to remove.
4. Attend heritage events like Memorial Day, cooperate with other interested heritage groups like the Daughters of the Confederacy, Sons of Union Veterans, etc. On one Memorial Day a former member of Camp 1440 gave us a tour of the Confederate veteran graves in Oak Hill Memorial Park, in San Jose. There are several there.
Another event we have participated in some time ago is the Veterans Day parade in San Jose. We march in uniform, carrying muskets with representatives of American's many other wars. Considering the recent increase in anti-Confederate hysteria, this must be discussed to see if it is still feasible.
5. Have speakers and exhibitions of historical topics. For the uninitiated, there is much to learn about the Confederate side of the Civil War. There are films and books to discuss, review and recommend. Regular camp meetings can provide the place for this.
