Fellow Compatriots,
The Sesquicentennial of the War for Southern Independence is over, and the Sesquicentennial of the beginning of “Reconstruction” is upon us. After June 17, 2015 attacks have been visible all around our Confederation. These attacks have placed the Sons of Confederate Veterans in the limelight of the world press, and revealed that our organization is the authority of everything Confederate. We must seize this opportunity to promote Growth, Unity, and Progress by recruiting new members in our organization, educate the general public about the true Cause our ancestors fought for, and promote our organization in our communities.
To accomplish this, we need the proper leadership to see this carried out in a gentlemanly and orderly fashion. To meet this challenge we need men with new innovative ideas who are willing to work hard at bringing our membership together under a common Cause, and to meet the demands that the "Charge of Gen. Stephen D. Lee" has laid before us. Our “enemies” think that we have been reeling after June 17th but that event has brought us closer together. They will continue to fight us as they paint a picture that the Cause our ancestors fought for was immoral, illegal, and unjust. The SCV is the largest and most recognizable organization for the promotion of Confederate Heritage and it is time we capitalize on that fact. We must hold true to Stephen D. Lee’s Charge and make our organization something that will be perpetuated for future generations so that they too may take pride and celebrate a rich Confederate heritage that we have inherited.
But, there is serious work before us that needs to be done in an aggressive and imaginative manner, emulating the principles that our ancestors fought so hard for. It is time to look at our problems with new eyes, keeping in place the wisdom learned from the lessons of the past. We need to use 21st Century ideas to fight this growing threat of “political correctness.”
As a high school and college teacher for over twenty years, it has been my job to teach students our nation’s history. I have seen political correctness infiltrating our history books. It has been a struggle to teach the “truth” in our classrooms. Yet, the youth of today are eager to know the truth when it is presented. As a Southerner and a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, it is my duty to teach the truth about the Cause our ancestors fought for and to uphold the "Charge" they have left for us. This, I am faithfully carrying out. As your current Army Commander on the GEC, I have proven that I have the energy, the experience, and the right attitude to lead and represent the interests of this Army. Thus, I humbly ask you once again for your support and Re-Elect me as YOUR Army of Tennessee Commander in 2016 in Dallas, TX so that I may continue being YOUR voice on the GEC.
Larry A. McCluney, Jr.
Army of Tennessee Commander,
Sons of Confederate Veterans