WELCOME HOME!!! Welcome home to Patrick Parris after successfully spending a year in Iraq in the service to your country. A lot of prayers were answered by your safe return. It was good to see the turnout from our camp on Confederate Memorial day on April 26th at the Trenton veteran’s park and on Sunday April 30th at the Chickamauga Battlefield. Last month I told you about the origins of Confederate Memorial Day and it’s beginning in Georgia on April 26th, 1866. Honoring those who had fallen on both sides began to take hold and on May 5th, 1868, Memorial Day was officially proclaimed by Gen. John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No.11 and was first observed on May 30th, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all the Northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their died on separate days set aside in their states since 1866, until after World War 1 (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the War Between the States, to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war. It is now celebrated in almost every state on the last Monday in May, though several Southern state still honor the Confederate war died on separate days. January 19th in Texas, April 26th in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi. May 10th in South Carolina, and June 3rd Jefferson Davis birthday in Louisiana and Tennessee).
Isaiah 40:1 Comfort ye comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Prayers: It is my sad duty to inform you that Lewis Leach had a serious motorcycle accident on April 30th. He is at the ICU unit at Erlanger hospital. He will probably need blood donations.(check with the camp.) Wedge Morrison’s granddaughter, Rachel Phillips, has a very serious illness. Johnny Sparks continues to improve from his motorcycle accident. Fred Stafford also continues to improve from his motorcycle accident. Ronnie Watts requests prayer for his dad who has some health problems.
Let us remember all of these in our thoughts and prayers. I believe that prayer is an answer for many of the hardships we as mortals face.
James Fletcher, Chaplain,
SCV camp #707
Ph. 256-657-5998
E-mail jdfletcher@farmerstel.com
