Dan and I belong to a Civil War Reenactment group, Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW). The first weekend in April was the annual encampment. This year it was in Council Bluffs. We had the National Camp Commander visit us for the meetings and we held an Auxiliary meeting as well. The camps from all over Iowa came together to give reports of the past year's activities, discussed present and future business, and voted in new officers for the next year. The men in uniform belong to the 49th Regiment out of Des Moines. They attend ceremonies, rededication of grave markers, parades, and any other activities that relates to the Civil War. The following are some pictures that I took of the meetings and the different groups of people.
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| The SUVCW Dept. of Iowa with Nat'l Commander Schall |
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| The charters for the Auxiliary and the SUVCW |
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| Marilyn Rittel holding a pin and reading the swearing procedures. |
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| The SUVCW Auxiliary |
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| Part of opening ceremonies |
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| Swearing in next year's officers |
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| David Thonpson receiving a certificate of completion of the SUVCW courses from National Commander Schall. |
The next big event is on April 12th, 10:00am, at the state capital by the Soldiers and Sailors monument. That is the day Fort Sumter was shot upon by Confederate Soldiers 150 years ago. This event is the kick off for the next four years of activities endorsed by the SUVCW. I will try to attend as many acitivities as possible and take pictures.
