Confederate Flag Day 2016 (Report)

[Image Credit: 'Confederates of Michigan']

This past Saturday afternoon, March 5th, 2016, a company comprised of 30-40 men, women & children (along with a few beautiful dogs) came together in Clearlake, MI to honor our Confederate heritage in a Confederate Flag Day rally!

Organized by a Michigan based group called the 'Confederates of Michigan,' the Michigan Camps of the Sons of Confederate Veterans partnered with them as co-sponsors of the event, in accordance with the request from National Headquarters from last Fall asking that all camps & divisions around the country sponsor such a rally on March 5, 2016. Among the nearly 30 states where such events took place on Saturday, I'm proud to say that ours here in Michigan was the one held farthest north.

[Image Credit: Michigan Camps of the SCV]

Temperatures on Saturday hovered around the freezing mark, and snowfall was steady throughout the early hours of the event, but it didn't deter those of us in attendance from standing out along the road waving our flags and holding our signs to the delight of hundreds of passing travelers, who expressed their appreciation by honking their horns and waving as they drove by. There were maybe a dozen, or two, who drove by giving us the one finger salute, and I'm pretty sure that they were telling us we're #1, but who knew so many are unable to straighten their index finger instead?! Aside from those few, I'm thrilled to report that there was no real opposition to our efforts. Several folks pulled in to ask what we were doing and what our purpose was, and we were all very happy to tell them that we were simply recognizing our brave Confederate ancestors for their honorable military service. 

We were also pleased to have the media cover our event, as a reporter from the 'Jackson Citizen Patriot' arrived around 1:00 p.m. to ask questions and speak to those in attendance (a photographer from the paper also came by and shot some photos of the event). I cannot express how proud I am of all who spoke with her, on and off the record. By the time she left, there was no reason given for her to speculate on the purity of our intentions. I'd also like to thank this journalist, Danielle Salisbury, for the fairness and honesty she used in reporting the story. Rather than injecting it with her own potential opinions or biases, she simply reported the facts of what she heard and witnessed, combined with some basic information about the currents events and recent controversy that presently surrounds the misuse of the symbols of our heritage by some.  In today's world of opinion-journalism, we could ask for nothing more than that. If you'd like to read the story and view the images, you can find them by clicking the following link...

[JACKSON CITIZEN PATRIOT: "Group waves controversial symbol, gathers to commemorate Confederate Flag Day"]

(The story has also been reported and mentioned by other media outlets covering Saturday's nationwide Confederate Flag Day events, including this one from WSOC-TV/ABC out of Charlotte, NC!)

After several hours of wonderful fellowship in the midst of waving our flags and celebrating our shared honorable heritage, the rally then packed up and hit the road. Roughly twenty vehicles rolled in procession around southeast-Jackson and onward to the township of Grass Lake, with most of the cars, trucks and vans bearing various American & Confederate flags. Our destination was the Oakwood Cemetery, on the eastern outskirts of Grass Lake Township, where we would gather to honor Pvt. George Edward Daft of the 31st Virginia Infantry. 

[Image Credit: 'Confederates of Michigan']

After arriving at the cemetery, members of the Michigan SCV and Confederates of Michigan temporarily hoisted up a Confederate Flag upon the cemetery's flagpole. Everyone subsequently joined in to recite the Salute to the Confederate Flag, and then sing Dixie, before marching to the final resting place of Pvt. Daft. A small flag was placed at this Southern Patriot's grave, as was a beautiful homemade Southern Cross (made by Denise Everett), and then a eulogy was read by the Sergeant-at-Arms of Camp #1321 which described in detail Pvt. Daft's Confederate service record. Our ceremonies concluded with a succinct, but heartfelt prayer for God to forever bless the memory of Pvt. Daft and every other southern soldier who served The Cause with honor.
 

[Image Credit: 'Confederates of Michigan']

To conclude this report, I'd like to express the utmost appreciation to Steve Panther and everyone involved with 'The Confederates of Michigan' for partnering with us in celebrating this very special occasion. Mr. Panther has applied to join the SCV, and pending final approval from HQ, we look forward to welcoming him into the ranks of 'Adm. Raphael Semmes' Camp #1321. We'd like to encourage other men in the 'Confederates of Michigan' who have Confederate ancestry to consider joining the SCV, and those members without Confederate ancestors to become official 'Friends of the SCV.' 

Despite being located deep in Yankee territory, those of us in Michigan with Confederate pride were heard from this past weekend, and you can bet we'll be heard from again!

DEO VINDICE!
- Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms, SCV Camp #1321