The SCV Constitution outlines the hierarchy of the Sons of Confederate Veterans organization including the General Officers at (General) Headquarters, Departments or Armies, Divisions, Brigades and the individual camps. The Constitution also suggests a minimum organization of officers at each of these levels including the Executive Committee (at the camp level) and the Executive Council (at the Division level). Also outlined are the responsibilities of the officers where the Commanders “see to the execution of all orders” received from the chain of command above them. This structure is important in the reliable dissemination of information and directives in a consistent and coherent manner and defines the power and authority of the commanders in particular “to enforce the provisions of (the) Constitution and Orders” as well as disciplinary administration. Of course this structure is patterned after the military chain of command found in the U.S. as well as the Confederate armies.
“A
chain of command provides proper avenues of communication. It allows for
members to give and receive information. When used properly, it is both simple
and effective. All orders and instructions should be issued through the chain
of command.”
(https://www.mvorganizing.org/what-is-the-importance-of-chain-of-command-in-military/#:~:text=A%20chain%20of%20command%20provides,through%20the%20chain%20of%20command.) “The chain of command serves to decentralize
authority and link the different levels of command (throughout the structure).” In the private sector, the “chain of command
refers to a company’s hierarchy of reporting relationships – from the bottom to
the top of an organization, who must answer to whom. The chain of command not
only establishes accountability, it lays out a company’s lines of authority and
decision-making power.” This website
also mentions the repercussions for “breaking the chain of command (as) a
punishable offense (which) undermines the authority” given to
leaders/managers. A recent incident was
well publicized in the media when US Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, “a Marine
infantry officer and battalion commander took to social media to air his
frustrations with senior military leadership over their handling of the U.S.
military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and what he says is a lack of
accountability for mistakes made by those charged with managing the final
stages of America’s longest war.”
(https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-lt-col-stuart-scheller-relieved-video/) While most Americans were aghast at images
from Kabul and angry with the recent bloodshed of the US servicemen who died in
the seemingly hasty ill-conceived evacuations, this story illustrates the
consequences of violating this well defined chain of command in providing
information and expressing opinions and suggestions.
A
conversation recently with a member of Camp 1524 highlighted to me the gaps we
have in communicating the SCV’s and in particular the camp’s chain of
command. I have asked our Communications
Officer Butler to distribute the camp by-laws
as well as the SCV Constitution to our membership. Our by-laws again provide the defined
structure of the officers’ positions who serve the camp and the
responsibilities of the Executive Committee of the Dragoons. It’s important that it be understood that
while I have defined a role of the chain of command as to disseminate information
and orders, it should also be used as the path for members to contact their
officers with concerns, suggestions or information to share with the camp. Each officer and member of the Executive
Committee welcomes the greater participation of each member and may be invited
to attend EC sessions where initiatives for the furtherance of the Cause and
the good of the camp and the SCV may be developed. We are all Sons of Confederate Veterans and
each of us has valuable skills, gifts and energy to make the camp a better
organization and to carry forth the Charge.
The SCV can be a powerful organization for historical education and
preservation and heritage defense especially if consistent information is
promulgated to everyone to focus our energy and activities.
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