The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Department of Nebraska held their 21st Annual Department Encampment on April 10, 2021 at the Saunders County Museum in Wahoo, Nebraska. The meeting was held both in person and online with over 20 members and guests attending. PCinC Brian Pierson was the visiting National representative.
A Memorial Service was held at 9:15 AM for departed DUVCW members. The business meeting started at 10:00 AM. Recaps of the various submitted reports were given by the Dept. Commander, Secretary/Treasurer, Officers, and Camp Commanders. Discussion was held on our Last Soldier Project with upcoming events and a couple of proposals.
Officers Elected for 2021-22:
Department Commander: John Surman
Senior Vice Commander: Marc Witkovski
Junior Vice Commander: Paul Burright
Secretary/Treasurer: Gage Stermensky
Council 1: Merle Rudebusch
Council 2: Norm Weber
Council 3: Bill Dean
Appointed Positions:
Patriotic Instructor: Eric Bachenberg
Chaplain: Michael Ponte
Counselor: Paul Hadley
Graves Registration Officer: Merle Rudebusch
Department Historian: Merle Rudebusch
ROTC Officer: Steve Bauermeister
Camp Creation Officer: Norm Weber
Recruiting Officer: Val Schmiedeskamp
Eagle Scout Coordinator: Mark Nichols
Signals Officer: Mark Nichols
Color Bearer: Nate Harder
Guide: Larry Angle
Guard: Swan Swanson
Civil War Memorials Officer: Bill Dean
GAR Highway Officer: Howard Davis
Department Musician: Joe Mettenbrink
Delegates to the National Encampment: Steve Bauermeister, Marc Witkovski, Gage Stermensky, Terry Zastera
A break for lunch followed the business meeting and the group reconvened at 1:00 PM for the awards and guest speaker presentation. A gift of appreciation was presented to CinC Brian Pierson for traveling to our encampment and installing the officers. Historian Jeff Barnes was the guest speaker and gave a presentation titled “Protecting the Ports: Civil War Fortifications of Charleston and Savannah.”