Gentlemen,
The Col. James J. Searcy Camp will be hosting a very special medal presentation on October 16th - a Wednesday evening at their regularly scheduled Camp Meeting at 7:00 p.m. Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to come across a Southern Cross of Honor Medal, that the UDC presented to Confederate Veterans. As it turned out, the soldiers names had been inscribed and I was able to find his service records, he was a young Confederate soldier from Boone County , Missouri . As fate would have it, I put the medal on loan to the Boone County Historical Society Museum , and a picture was also put on the Searcy Camp website... and a great-great grandson saw this picture and made contact with the Searcy Camp and myself. After a bit of discussion and verification of lineage, we have decided to get the medal back in a descendant's hands, where it belongs. Unfortunately it should never have gotten out of the family and ended up at an antique mall, but sadly, those things happen.
The great-great grandson is named Dale Smith, and he is coming all the way from the State of Utah . He is so excited and has already joined the SCV, the Searcy Camp in particular. We will also be inviting memebers of the UDC, since they were the original presenters of this medal. The press will also be invited to cover this special event... and alas, I will even be putting on a suit and tie for this event! The Searcy Camp and myself wish to invite any and all members of the Missouri Division to come and share in this special presentation and to welcome Dale Smith to the SCV as well. Uniforms would be awesome and really give the event a true Confederate feel.
The presentation will take place at the Boone County Historical Society Bldg./Museum on Wednesday, October 16th, 2013. I would ask that one of the Searcy Camp members post the address and directions to the location. More information will most likely follow, but please make plans to be there for this event if you can. Please share this information with your camp memberships. The time/date is tentative at this point, but will most likely hold true.
Darrell Maples - Commander
Missouri Division - SCV
