Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Commander’s Column for August 2026 – The Demographics Problem Facing the SCV

Some time ago in this same space I wrote that the camp should take every opportunity such as thru participation in festivals and in community service projects to educate our neighbors and the public as to the true history of the South and the Confederate Cause, to normalize the SCV and the Battle Flag such that we are recognized as a valued and respected organization.  It’s become increasingly apparent though that this approach does not capture the severity of the problem or address the real issue which jeopardizes our continued efforts at preserving Confederate heritage.  The intervening years have shown that there has been a concerted effort by our very government at all levels to allow an influx of foreigners including illegal aliens into our country, our states and our communities.  It should be transparent now that these foreigners have no intention of assimilating into our culture while we enjoy the diversity of Mexican food and bilingual signage in our neighborhoods.  This is only happening in Texas and border states though, right?  In 2024 sixty Haitians arrived in Sylacauga AL for settlement thru a federal Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan (CHNV) Parole Program.  Spanish is the second leading language spoken in Alabama with about 285,000 residents  and almost 190,000 households speaking such.  Estimates place the percentage of foreign-born people in Alabama at 4.5%.  Oh, that’s a small percentage but consider that although Presidential election year voter turnout may run as much as 50%, in primaries and local elections, turnout can run as low as 10% (as was the case in a statewide runoff in June of 2026).  But foreigners don’t vote in US elections!  Then passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act shouldn’t be an issue at all then, right?  That is a common-sense proposed federal election bill that would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote.  But this bill cannot make it thru the US Senate as we have been waiting nearly six months for the SAVE America Act to pass since the U.S. House of Representatives approved it on February 11, 2026.  That’s just federal elections though, right?   Today, 55% of Dearborn, Michigan residents claim Middle Eastern or North African ancestry based on official census data and 4 out of 7 members of the Dearborn City Council are of Arab descent. The 62,000-square-foot Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights just held its grand opening in June 2026 joining the 120,000-square-foot Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, the largest mosque in North America.  Dearborn was the birthplace of Henry Ford and of the modern auto industry, Ford’s River Rouge Plant.   Oh, but that’s Michigan.  The Islamic Center (EPIC) also known as The Meadow is a 400-acre mosque and master-planned community in East Plano, Texas.  In 2024 the third tallest statue in the United States was unveiled in Sugar Land, Texas, a massive 90-foot-tall Hindu monument of their deity Hanuman located at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple.  There are active debates as to whether Sharia law can be adopted within communities in cities across the United States.  It was announced with some fanfare just three weeks ago that Georgia is now majority non-white (with just 48% Caucasian); about 40% of new residents between 2020 and 2025 in Georgia were Hispanic.  Stone Mountain just outside Atlanta of course is the site of the largest relief sculpture in the world depicting President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.  Not surprisingly with this demographic shift, there has been an almost constant uproar in recent years over this historic sculpture with the SCV leading the fight to defend this incredible work of art.  This is where we are folks.  It’s not a matter of education. It is a matter of reversing decades of uncontrolled illegal immigration as well as legal temporary status including H1B, H2A and TPS programs (which according to the recent SCOTUS ruling can produce US citizens of any offspring of these foreigners).  It is a matter of revisiting/reversing the disastrous Hart-Celler Act (Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965) which abolished national origin quotas and shifted modern immigration demographics away from that which had long favored Northern and Western Europeans, the demographic on which our nation was founded and thrived.  In Spain right now, thousands of Moroccans have invaded with the Spanish government’s tacit approval, taking control of the cities of Cauta and Melilla, squatting in homes, stealing, stoning Spaniards, and setting cars on fire.  Reports of hundreds of thousands of rapes by migrants in the UK.  These foreigners invading America and western Europe have no intentions of assimilating.  They want to cancel our culture and heritage and control and dominate our cities and society.   Some are recognizing the seriousness of the situation.  Charlie Kirk had warned us, "Mass migration is a weapon being used to take over the West."  But also, Marco Rubio, current Secretary of State recently said,  "Mass migration is not some fringe concern of little consequence.  It's destabilizing societies all across the West."  Of course, he of Cuban decent.  But VP JD Vance agreed, "We cannot rebuild Western civilization by letting millions of migrants into our countries. It has to stop."  And Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated, "Like the Christian crusaders who pushed back the Muslim hordes in the twelfth century, American Crusaders will need to muster the same courage against Islamists today."  As the saying goes, “There is nothing new under the sun” and these battle lines have been drawn before.  John Quincy Adams wrote in an 1830 essay, "The precept of the Koran is perpetual war against all who deny that Muhammad is the prophet of God."  In 1802 Alexander Hamilton in an op-ed opposing Thomas Jefferson’s more liberal immigration policies, "To admit foreigners indiscriminately to the rights of citizens, the moment they put foot in our country... would be nothing less, than to admit the Grecian Horse into the Citadel of our Liberty and Sovereignty."  There is an observed progression where minority groups advance their empowerment and influence beginning with simply asking for respect, then demanding rights, then building coalitions to actually assume power including politically, and finally institutionalizing control including thru laws and enforcement. Uthman ibn Farooq an Islamic preacher in California with the One Message Foundation said, “No one can stop Islam in America.  This is not your country, this is our country.  This is the land of Allah. If you want to live in a place with no Muslims, I suggest you go to hell.”   This is the goal.  I recently shared an article where the author highlighted that the attacks by Marxist revolutionaries on Confederate heritage was easy low hanging fruit and those responsible used the removal of our monuments and vestiges of Southern history as a “test case” to “sever us from our shameful past”, to reframe, distort and rewrite our nation’s history as one of grievous oppression to be forgotten and founders shamed.  It was not a coincidence that the governor of South Carolina who has been credited with starting the whole woke movement against Southern heritage and history by removing the Confederate Battle Flag from the state house in Columbia SC was the daughter of Punjabi Sikh immigrants from India.  No sense of historical perspective, an ignorant lack of appreciation and respect of Confederate heritage.  These Mexicans who want to take back California, Islamists who want Sharia Law as the law of the land here, the Indians who want to displace all our workers and, all the politicians who allowed the influx of these immigrants…here we are.  The fact is, many of our neighbors don’t want to be educated as to the true history of the South and the Confederate Cause and will never appreciate and respect our heritage.  That’s not what they want.

Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Cemetery Maintenance in July 2026

Members of the Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 have been laboring in the Alabama summer heat maintaining the grounds at the two local cemeteries for which the camp acts as SCV Guardians to care for the final resting place of Confederate veterans.  Comms Officer Eric Davis trimmed around all the tombstones across the Robinson Springs cemetery in Millbrook on Friday July 10th.  Then on Monday July 20th, Treasurer John Dennis and his wife Mary Jane and David Whitehead mowed, trimmed and cleaned Indian Hill cemetery in west Prattville off CR 86.  Tremendous work by these dedicated compatriots remembering our fallen heroes and founders of these local communities.  

SCV Camp 1524 Prattville Dragoon Commander at Children of the Confederacy General Convention

The annual General Convention of the Children of the Confederacy was held at the historic Marietta Hilton from Wednesday July 15th thru Saturday July 18th.  Setup and UDC and CofC officers meetings comprised the first day and then the first business meeting was held on Thursday followed by a field trip on Friday to local historic sites like Kennesaw Mountain.  The Hilton property was the site of the Georgia Military Institute in the leadup to the War Between the States and the Brumby House (built by Colonel Arnoldus Brumby circa 1851) immediately next door served as the home of the commandant of GMI and today serves as a "Gone with the Wind" Museum. One room in the Hilton provides historical prints and photos from the WBTS period and later scenes from Marietta as well as a cannon from GMI used during the war.  The grounds in the back of the Hilton are now the City Club Marietta golf course and sunsets are beautiful in the evening looking out west over the course from the hotel.  Camp 1524 Commander Waldo and his daughter arrived Friday evening to attend the business session on Saturday which included the election of new CofC officers for the 2026-27 term.  That afternoon following lunch Commander Waldo and his daughter went across Powder Springs Street from the Hilton to Brown Park to walk thru the beautiful historic Marietta Confederate Cemetery where the story of Maddie Harris Lyon and other women and widows of Marietta who helped establish and care for this cemetery is told with bronze statues, monuments and memorial benches. That evening was the President's Evening, Banquet and Confederate Ball back at the Hilton conference room.  This included a procession of all the state flags into the ballroom, a procession of all the current and incoming CofC officers and their escorts where they then did a dance joining hands together in an unbroken chain.  CofC Presidents from the states with representatives in attendance provided reports from their Divisions and the outgoing and incoming CofC Presidents gave speeches also.  The ribbons and sashes were placed on the new General Officers in a ceremony and outgoing officers donned new sashes designating their former status. A candlelight aging out ceremony was held for those CofC members graduating from high school including a message from a UDC representative encouraging their continuation of the Cause as SCV and UDC members.  A banquet of fried chicken, baked macaroni and cheese and green beans, salad, and the requisite peach cobbler (befitting a Georgia dessert) was served.  Following the banquet, a period dance instructor (re)taught and led everyone in the Virginia Reel and other historic round dances.  It was an enjoyable evening to wrap up another grand CofC General Convention. 

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Meeting for July 2026 - 13th and 14th Amendments

The Dragoons of SCV Camp 1524 gathered on Thursday evening July 9th for their regularly scheduled monthly meeting returning to the Masonic Lodge in downtown Prattville.  Rob Schwartz played his guitar in the social hour leading up to the meeting and had everyone singing along with songs including "Dixieland".  1st Lt Harold Grooms stood in for Commander Waldo who was returning from travel out of state and he opened the meeting with a Benediction.  Color Sgt Billy Leverette led everyone in the pleadges and salutes to the flags.  Harold then recited the SCV Charge and then highlighted all the upcoming events and wrap-up of recent events including the recruiting booth at the Clanton Peach Jam festival.  The guest speaker for the evening was Commander John Land from Montgomery who spoke on the 13th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution and led a discussion as to the legality of these as they were passed by the Southern states under coercion as a requirement for readmission to the Union as part of Reconstruction which again brings into question how a state not in the Union could ratify an amendment. Good discussion with camp members including legal scholars in attendance. The meeting was brought to a close with an Invocation by Chaplain Johnson.  

Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 at the Prattville Independence Day Parade

Members, friends, and family of the Dragoons of SCV Camp 1524 participated in the Prattville Independence Day parade on Saturday July 4th.  The parade lineup was at 8am and the parade rolled at 9am, starting in front of the courthouse before making a left onto 4th Street, a right onto Washington and a left back onto Main Street before the final leg down Northington to the park and stadium.  It was very warm even that early in the morning but crowds gathered all along the parade route to catch candy tossed their way - the spots with tree shade were particularly popular.  Former camp and brigade commander Bill Myrick accompanied by his wife drove his truck which had a nice display of flags including the Bonnie Blue, Alabama Secession, Dragoon banner, and Alabama State flags standing in the bed of the truck.  Camp Commander Waldo and Comms Officer Davis carried the camp's Independence Day banner to lead the group.  Corporal represented the Mechanized Cavalry on his Harley Davidson while Camp 1524 Adjutant Butler drove his golf cart festooned with flags and red-white-and-blue bunting.  Doug also had music playing through a large speaker as well as a bubble maker with which he lined the streets with soapy bubbles.  Commander Waldo's family rode in the purple Charger, including his wife and son and daughter and another local member of the Children of the Confederacy.  It was an enjoyable start to the festivities for Independence Day in Prattville culminating with fireworks at dusk at the clock tower. 

Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Chaplain's Column for July 2026 - Blessed is the Nation Whose God is the LORD

 

 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." Psalm 33:12 (KJV)

As we gather to celebrate Independence Day this weekend, the pomp and pageantry (not to mention the rousing noise of fireworks and general gaiety) rightly remind us of our nation's founding. Yet for Christians, the greater reminder is that no nation is truly blessed because of its military strength, economic prosperity, or political institutions. According to the Scriptures, a nation's greatest blessing is found in acknowledging the sovereign Lord.

Psalm 33:12 is more than a patriotic verse; it is a timeless Biblical principle. Both in Scripture and in History, we see that Nations flourish when they seek God's righteousness and decline when they forget Him. This truth was well understood by many of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. They spoke openly of Divine Providence, appealed to the Creator as the source of human rights, and called upon the people to seek God's favor through prayer and repentance. They recognized that liberty was not merely a political achievement but a sacred trust, to be exercised under the authority of Almighty God.

That same conviction was carried into later generations, including to our Confederate forefathers. Throughout the War Between the States, Confederate camps frequently held worship services, prayer meetings, and revivals. General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church. General Robert E. Lee was a devout Anglican layman who regularly attended Divine Service, even while beleaguered by Grant’s armies at Petersburg. And the Constitution of the Confederate States of America, unlike the Constitution of the United States, invoked “the favor and guidance of Almighty God” in its Preamble.

The true history of the new Nation brought forth on this Continent by the men who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the men who fought for its principles in 1861-1865 is that this was, from the beginning, a Christian Nation.     

That Nation today stands in great need of spiritual renewal. By the blessing of God, our Nation remains to us, and our land has been blessed with peace and prosperity. But in the midst of that peace and prosperity, our people have forgotten Him. It is for us, whose mission is to pass down the lessons of the true history of our Country to future generations, to remind our children and grandchildren of this lesson: Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”

The answer to our nation's deepest problems will not be found in elections alone, nor in wealth or power, but in humble hearts turning once again to the Lord. The promise of Psalm 33 remains as true today as when David first penned it: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD." For it is in the Kingdom of God, and in His righteousness, that our Republic found its first strength, and will find its long endurance.

May this Independence Day find us grateful for the blessings of liberty, mindful of the sacrifices of those who came before us, and above all, committed to seeking first the Kingdom of God.

            Deo Vindice!

SCV Camp 1524 Commander's Column - Shine Like Stars as Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans

 

A recent sermon at my church reminded me of the challenges we face collaborating with other compatriots as members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.  One of the frequent issues cited among camps is the interpersonal conflicts that often disrupt the good work we are trying to accomplish to further the Cause.  We sometimes lose site of the entire premise for being a part of the SCV as embodied in the Charge.  The sermon message pertained to Philippians 2:12-18 and instructed believers and their faith to “shine like stars” and similarly, when we gather with compatriots for SCV events and perform community service and outreach or recruiting events within our communities, we should strive to shine as positive lighthouses.  The core takeaway from Philippians 2:12-13 is to “let God’s work become visible in your life.”   Especially when we project to our friends and neighbors in our community, we need this to be in a positive light and highlight the great things the SCV does and what we are doing for the community in the way of service projects and donations and preserving historical vestiges including cemeteries and monuments.  We have used a poster exhibited in our recruiting booths to illustrate photos from school living history presentations and JROTC Hunley awards as well as cemetery maintenance and food drives and these have elicited statements of surprise from passers-by and potential detractors.   Put a spotlight on the positive things the SCV and your camp is doing. 

Those verses in Philippians also instruct believers to “refuse what dims the light.”   My takeaways from the sermon along these lines applicable to the SCV and camps is to curtail the complaining.  Minimize the grumbling and arguing – keep your eyes fixed on the Charge and why we are attempting to advance to Cause to honor our Confederate ancestors.  We are all volunteers in this organization and should respect the efforts of all compatriots and show humility in our interactions.  It is human nature to think our ideas, our way is best but we must strive to respect other perspectives and experiences and work together in a spirit of cooperation to further the Cause.  “Shine like stars, don’t whine like stars.”

The final message from the sermon pertained to Philippians 2:15-16 and the takeaway was to “live differently in a dark world.”  We are living in a dark and twisted generation.  Isiah 5:20 states, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.”  Today evil is framed as good and this is defined as “moral inversion or ethical deception”.  LGBQTXYZ is embraced as a normal alternative lifestyle.  Abortion is framed as personal choice and empowering women to have ultimate control of their body; they have lost sight of their bodies as a temple to the Lord and that another God-given human life is growing within them. Replacement of western cultures with third world migrants is presented as diversity, equity and inclusion.  Our vestiges to our Southern history and our noble honorable Confederate heroes are being desecrated, removed and destroyed.  Some of these are beautiful priceless works of art like the monuments which have graced the boulevards and parks in Richmond and Atlanta and other Southern towns.  We are attacked and denigrated as Lost Causers and slavery apologists.  But we know the truth of our Confederate ancestors’ struggle for independence and their brave defense of their homes and families in the face of insurmountable odds.  As SCV compatriots we should shine like stars, as examples of Southern gentlemen.  We must hold firmly to the Cause and be enthusiastic in advancing the Charge to a community which may be surprisingly unreceptive to the true history of the South, prepared to defend our ancestors virtues and the ideals which motivated them to secede from the Union and resist the tyrannical invading federal forces for four arduous years.