Virginia Flaggers In The News--Contributed by Susan Friese Hathaway

GA/VA Flagger Billy Bearden has recently had several guest appearances on the radio talk show "What's Up in West Georgia?" on WGMI 1440 in Carrollton, Georgia.  The host is a black man, born and raised in New York, who was intrigued after talking with Billy at a local event about the 56 Georgia flag he was carrying.  After more discussions, and some investigating, Dr. Jerry has become an enthusiastic supporter of Southern Heritage and the Confederate Cause.  Billy's appearances up to this point have been to discuss the SCV, heritage defense, the 56' flag issue, and most recently, the restoration of the Confederate Monument in Carrollton...
"Carroll County, Georgia, Confederate Monument Restored! Missing in Action for over 50 years, this past week saw the replacement of the 4 decorative 'cannonballs' on the Confederate Statue in Carrollton.

It all started back in 2007, when I read a book on Georgia Confederate Memorials loaned to me by Camp #1239 member Tony Gonzales. I discovered the Carroll County Monument would turn 100 in May of 2010. Initial suggestions were proposed, and plans were implemented with the enthusiastic assistance of Ga Div Historian Ernie Blevins of SCV camp #1239. A parade down historic Dixie Street, Guest Speaker Bill Chappell, Chairman of Carroll County Board of Commissioners, Newspaper and Radio coverage, and the creation and release of this great documentary by Mr Blevins were the result:

Always Looking North
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAx9pPdRkF8

During the research, it was discovered that the original 4 balls were missing for quite some time. Additionally, it was learned that 2 of the 4 balls had been stolen by Carrollton City workers to use as a decorative topping to 2 brick and mortar pillars at the entrance to the Carrollton Cemetery. 
Since that time, Ernie and I sought funding to restore the 4 balls. After the funding was available, we managed to enlist the local monument company to make and install the replacements.

More photos here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200274014031290.1073741825.1181542610&type=1

The 4 decorative balls that had been missing for over 70 years finally were replaced, just in time for Confederate Heritage and History Month!"
- Billy Bearden

THIS Monday, April 1st at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time, Billy will once again be a guest, but this will be a very special show.  Dr. Jerry plans on having a friend from New York (who does NOT agree with his favorable view of the Confederate Battle Flag) call in and discuss the issue with Billy.



This should be a great show and we encourage everyone to please tune in, or listen online...  www.1440thetrain.com

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Va Flagger Cecil "Tommy" Thomas was featured in this great article recently:

http://www.dailypress.com/news/breaking/dp-honoring-the-confederate-dead-at-historic-st-johns-church-20130319,0,284220.story
"Cecil W. Thomas III has spent much of his free time scraping off the rust and restoring every one of the 166 crosses that honor the Confederate dead at St. John's Church in Hampton. Thomas has brushed off, primed and repainted 400 crosses over the past four years in cemeteries from St. John's to his old family burial ground at Mill Swamp Cemetery in Isle of Wight County."

We are proud to have Tommy has a Flagger and a friend.  His dedication and commitment to honoring our Confederate Ancestors is exceptional and we congratulate him on this well deserved recognition!



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And last, but certainly not least, our friend and Flagger, Sgt. Cliff Troutman was featured in Richmond's "Style Weekly" Magazine's "Pictures of the Year" for 2012, when he was photographed participating with the Va Flaggers in the 2012 Heritage Rally in Richmond. 

 

 

"Conflicted Confederacy: Published Feb. 28. Retired U.S. Marine Sgt. Cliff Troutman, who served in Vietnam, attends a Sons of Confederate Veterans rally at the Robert E. Lee monument on Monument Avenue.

Photographer's note: This guy just looked tough. He was the real deal in a crowd of people dressed as re-enactors. When he turned and stared down at me with piercing blue eyes and the cigarette clenched between his teeth, all the elements of a good image came together. The monument and flag help set the scene, but his face tells the story."

http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/2012-photos-of-the-year/Content?oid=1794893


Sarge is one of our most dedicated Flaggers, rarely missing a scheduled flagging and a staunch supporter on and off the sidewalk.  He is also a member of the Lee-Jackson Camp #1, SCV, a national officer for Wreaths across America and an advocate for Veterans through membership and leadership in many other Veterans' organizations.
 
In Vietnam, he was part of the 1st Battalion, 9th Regiment Marine Corp.  They had 800 marines and Navy hospital corpsmen.  747 were KILLED! 2 MIAs ....the unit was in 37 engagements(battles) from June '65 to July '69, when the unit was DE-commissioned due to combat casualties.  Ho Chi Minh told them that he was going to kill them all...so just consider themselves dead walking!  So they called themselves "The Walking Dead" and Troutman stills carries that name with pride.  Sergeant Troutman's job was radio communications, he was attached to the unit from 3rd Division HQ.  He was assigned a jeep loaded with weapons & radio repair parts, which he drove in the field.  He was the soldier who responded to the combat call: "Radio Out", so he would go to that broken radio and repair it during combat!  He and the Navy Corpsmen were the soldiers who responded to other soldiers' needs during combat.  He says, "A  few times, THEY almost got me too!"  He is truly one of a kind.  He & his unit did carry into battle & Fly the  Confederate Battle Flag, he says so that the Viet Cong would know it was the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine( The Walking Dead) they were fighting. Semper Fi!