Gregg A. Mierka
Department Commander
August 15, 1997
The following General Orders are issued for 1997, by the Department Commander Gregg A. Mierka, and attested to by the Department Secretary/Quartermaster, Robert C. Bromley.
1. A reminder to all Camps: As voted in regular meeting session of the R.I. Department SUVCW, in 1996, all Camp Secretaries or Secretary/Treasurers are instructed to submit a "current copy" of their "Camp Roster" with every Quarterly Camp Per Capita Tax Report and payment. Each Camp Roster must reflect the exact number of men accounted for in the per capita tax report. The Department shall reserve the option of refusing reports submitted without an updated Camp Roster. The Department Secretary will return the report to the Camp for insufficient or incomplete If the delay causes the department to be late in submitting its Quarterly Percapita Tax Report and payment to the National SUVCW, the Department shall reserve a further option to turn the Camp in to the National Organization as being delinquent; or file the overdue per capita tax report for the camp not in compliance with this order, and base the report on the previous quarter report on file at the Department, withdraw the necessary funds to cover the per capita tax payment from the camp account and assess a late penalty upon the delinquent camp not to exceed $10.00. Membership drop and add information must also be listed on the reverse side of the quarterly percapita tax form and must be filled out when necessary and forwarded on time to the Department Secretary.
2. Any Camp or individual member wishing to apply for a grant or project funding from an outside agency in the name of the SUVCW in R.I. must first receive the full approval of the Department. Camps or individual members must submit their proposals each year in September, to the Department or 30 days in advance to the next Department meeting for Department consideration. This is to avoid the possibility of duplicate or competing grant proposals being submitted by 2 or more camps or members to the same funding agency for the same purpose. Since the Department currently receives Legislated funding from the State of R.I., Camps and individuals are prohibited from applying to the State Legislature for any reason. Approval of grant proposals shall not be a part of the Annual Department Encampment agenda.
3. The Department is currently re-doing the official Department letter head stationary. Camps can obtain a master copy to be kept on file, from the Department Secretary/Quartermaster. The master shall be used by each Camp to print up Camp stationary. Camp Stationary shall be printed in blue and the Department in red. Official letter head stationary shall be used for all official written correspondence.
4. Condolences and well wishes go to:
5. All Camp requests for veterans flags for Memorial Day "MUST" be submitted through the Department Patriotic Instructor. Camps or individual members are NOT allowed to order flags from the Exeter Veterans Cemetery on their own without the knowledge of the Department, because in doing so, it may ruin SUVCW credibility with the State Flagging Program and could cause the SUVCW to be eliminated from the program. All veterans flags received MUST be distributed on veterans graves only---preferably, Civil War Veterans, since it is the mission of the R.I. Department SUVCW to care for the GAR and perpetuate their memory. All camps MUST submit a report to the Department Patriotic Instructor in writing accounting for the placement of all flags distributed by no later than June 30th after the Memorial Day of each year, (please note that the present year forms are excluded from the June 30th deadline, but are do to the DPI ASAP) so the DPI can file his report with Exeter. Camps or individuals who do not follow this procedure may face disciplinary actions under the rules of the C&R as conduct harmful to the Order.
6. The Department liability insurance policy shall not cover the uses of black powder and therefore the Department shall not support, engage, or sponsor activities that involve the use of black powder. In R.I., SUVCW members who participate in such activities do so at their own risk outside the Order. All R.I. Sons of Veterans (SVR) uniformed units under the sponsorship and control of the R.I. Department SUVCW, inc., shall comply with this order. All R.I. Dept. SUVCW recognized SVR units must be covered by insurance, incorporated in the State of R.I. under the Department and be designed to conduct ceremonies and educational programs only, and must exclude the handling or firing of black powder weapons.
7. A call for the return of all Department property, except that which has been assigned to the Camps, has been issued. All members or past members of the R.I. Department SUVCW who have SUVCW/GAR property in their possession are instructed to turn over all such property to Br. Raymond Ferrick, the Department Archivist, by September, so it may be re-inventoried and properly stored in the new R.I. Department SUVCW climate controlled storage facility. Everything of a historical nature 8 years or older must be turned over to the Department. Call the Department Archivist for details at 461-6701.
8. Congratulations to the men of our newest Camp in the R.I. Department SUVCW, Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside Camp No.5. Due to the change of the National Secretary, the camp did not receive its Provisional Charter at the 116th National Encampment in Utica as promised. We must be patient with our new National Secretary and give him a chance to get organized. The Camp 5 Charter will be coming shortly. Even though the document has not arrived yet, Camp 5 is a legitimate Camp in the Department and we all welcome them in to the Order.