Post 1847, (Gen James Ferguson) Salt Lake City, UT
Things have been rather quiet for 1847 over the winter as we recover from a rather busy 2018 year of events. Our last event in December, the Honor Guard participated with Team Rubicon for the Laying of the Wreaths at the Fort Douglas Cemetery, Salt Lake City. Team Rubicon is a Disaster Response Organization started by Veterans a few years ago. Participants were Kendall Sorenson, Fred Long and PC Connie Lee Carlisle Carlson (also a Team Rubicon member). We are looking forward to this year being involved in various events.
Our 2019 season will start off with the Annual St Patrick’s Day Parade in Salt Lake, various SAMS Awards presentations in April and May for JROTC and ROTC cadets (we have already received requests for this year). In May there will be various Memorial Day events of which the Post Color Guard will participate with the Utah Pipe Band.
June will be the annual Utah Scottish Association Scottish Festival in Salt Lake City. In July, the Payson Scottish Festival will be held in Payson. We will be Color Guard for both events as well as have our tent to share about SAMS, events upcoming for Post participation, and various opportunities within our Post for those interested in becoming members. In July, there will be the Days of 47 Parade and we will be the Color Guard for the Utah Pipe Band.
November our Color Guard will be participating in the Annual Moab Celtic Festival in Moab followed by our last event of the year, the Veterans’ Day Parade in Salt Lake. In between times, we are ready and prepared for whatever we may be asked to do.
Our Post Honor Guard will participate in various activities upon request throughout the year. We are currently working on the draft of the Honor Guard Manual of which will outline various requirements and criteria for being a member of the Guard.
ATTENTION: I need any Post 1847 members who have not been contacted by myself or Kendall Sorenson to contact us to ensure we have your information in our Post records for future communications. I am working on cleaning up our Post Roster, updating it with current and accurate information. We want to ensure that no Post member is left out of various activities we have coming up.
—Connie L Carlisle Carlson, PC,
mudskipper1@earthlink.net
Post 1848, Wisconsin
—Robert Hunt, PC, rchunt34@gmail.com
Post 1852, (Three Rivers), SW WA, NW OR
Post is preparing for our Spring and Summer campaign of Highland Games. We will be attending six major events in Washington and Oregon. Further planning will occur at our AGM in April. To facilitate logistics, the Post recently purchased an enclosed trailer that will be used to store and transport the Post’s equipment and supplies.
—Kevin S. Rentner PC, krentner@hotmail.com
Post 1854, (Heartland) Wichita, KS
On 26 January, we hosted our fifth Robert Burns Dinner. As with past years, attendance increased, and the Post is considering larger venues for future dinners. This year, the Post began assisting the Homeless Veterans program at the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center, Wichita, with clothing and cash donations. The Post hopes to expand its involvement into other aspect of the program. We will again anchor Clan Row at the Wichita Highland Games (aka Renaissance and Highland Festival) on 13-14 April. All SAMS members and families are welcome to stop in and visit and enjoy the games.
—Barbara Bulger VC, for
—Dennis E. Harvey, PC,
heartlandpost1854@gmail.com
Post 1858, Minnesota
—Timothy Anderson, PC, ande4044@yahoo.com
Post 1860, Summerville, South Carolina
—Kevin Smith, PC. warpipes@gmail.com
Post 1861, (LCPL Kenneth J Haywood) San Diego, CA
—Jay Rindler PC, karlort@aol.com
Post 1864, (Edward M. Cobbs) Reno, NV
—Vaughn Moncrieff, PC,
vaughn.moncrieff@vdm-metals.com
Post 1889, (Mt. Rainier) Seattle, WA
—Vernon Johnson, PC. generalvej@aol.com
Post 1912, New Mexico
On 26 January, 1912 was intricately involved in the ceremonies during the annual Burns Night festivities at the Rio Grande Best Western in Albuquerque. PC Tom Hill was unable to attend due to Federal duties in Nashville, but was ably represented at table by his wife, Pamela.
VC Ed “Kilty” McBride led QM John Bowers, Bill Aber and Dale Routledge in presenting the colors in fine style, the first time out for our newly-formed Color Guard! Immediate Past PC Jay Vandersloot was accompanied by his sister, Louise; she and Kilty McBride’s wife Mary Ann were welcome additions to the table.
Kilty carried the Haggis behind the Piper and Guard in the Piping the Haggis ceremony. Also, Kilty, who is a Master Piper, played for the Flowers of the Forest presentation while Bill Aber officiated the ceremony, paying tribute particularly to former President George W. Bush. Reverend Bill Aber also presented the Selkirk Grace in SAMS uniform, then changed to his Prince Charlie, and presented the Immortal Memory.
Member-at-Large Bruce Green, also the President of the Saint Andrew Scottish Society of New Mexico, was involved in speeches and event coordination throughout.
As PC I am very proud of the hard work and dedication shown by our members, their involvement in all important Celtic events in the area, and their determination to make this Post grow and prosper!
—Thomas B. Hill, PC. basscdr@gmail.com
Post 1921, (Admiral William A. Moffett) No. CA
1921 has lift-off for 2019 with a calendar of Post activities put together at an annual planning meeting in January. Our activity pattern is very similar to past years with adjustments for change that passing time seems to bring. The Highland Game schedule for the our region is showing signs of flux with past games closing down and new games arising. The coming and going hinges on game venue settings closed or destroyed, low attendance and funding issues of sponsoring organizations.
For the us, it is a matter of responding to these changes in dates, distances and spokesman contacts to determine what role, if any, we will play in the new order of things. Member interest and participation is always the key element in making any successful transitions.
Aside from the Games circuit, the Post Color Guard support when called upon by Scottish/Celtic and veteran organizations in parades, luncheons, memorials, kirkins, funerals and award ceremonies throughout the year. So far we have twenty-five events on the 2019 calendar.
Two on-going Veteran Cemetery projects, will continue to be a focus of Post involvement. Long-standing is the development of the California Veterans Cemetery on the grounds of the old Fort Ord Army Base in Monterey. The more recent project is an effort in support of reviving and renewing a badly neglected Mare Island Naval Cemetery in Vallejo. It is the oldest military cemetery on the West Coast and with the closing of Mare Island Naval Base fell through the cracks of base transition, leaving it in a state of “limbo”. We hope with renewed attention and corrective legislation it will be brought back to a place of honor for veterans interred there, including three Medal of Honor recipients and Anna Arnold Key, the daughter of Francis Scott Key.
May the year be enjoyable and rewarding in fulfilling our calendar of activities and we extend the same wish to all SAMS Posts.
—Jerry Long, PC. langaj3@sbcglobal.net
Post 1943, (Nathan Bedford Forrest III) Memphis,
—Enrico Clausi, PC. capopiper@aol.com
Post 1952, (Frank H. Kennon) Central Florida
—Daniel Watson, PC, danewat_98@yahoo.com
Post 2000, Flagstaff, AZ
—Bob Wiley, PC, wiley.marine@hotmail.com
CAMPS
Camp 27 Miami, Florida
—Adj Randy Gratz, rg6759@msn.com
—Kenneth Maxwell, CC, captainken54@yahoo.com
Camp 77, Delmont, PA
—Doug R. Fulton CC, fulton12b@yahoo.com
1776, New England
—PENDING
1804, Camp Andy Jackson, Lebanon, TN
—Kevin Browning, CC, banjarboi@hotmail.com
1835, Camp Come and Take It, Houston, TX
—Carl Mathews CC, carl.mathews@txsg.state.tx.us
Greater Wyoming Camp
—G. Milton Garett, POC, gmilt3@gmail.com
Camp Col. Davenport, Iowa
—Hubert Pries, CC, hpries8448@gmail.com
