A “Reconstructed” Rebel Attends Confederate Monument Dedication

The flag of the Confederacy flying over the Berkeley County Museum, Saturday, June 25, 2011.

Monday, June 27, 2011

"I got up at 5:30 AM on a Saturday and drove 2 hours to attend a Confederate memorial dedication. Uh?????"

 The Event 

The main reason I went was to see the ceremony.  And, after honestly examining my feelings, I was there to honor the memory of 263 individuals who made “the supreme sacrifice”.

A little background:  I grew up in the Lowcountry of S.C. as an unreconstructed Confederate.  The little Reb General and “Forget Hell” I thought would always be etched and treasured in my memory.  Let me also give the great white excuse: “That is just the way it was back then.  I didn’t do anything; I didn’t own any slaves”.

My great-grandfather, O.H. Whitfield from Salters, SC served with distinction as a regular with the 4^th SC Cavalry Regiment during the Civil War.  He was at Cold Harbor, Petersburg, defended Charleston and was part of the final surrender to Sherman in North Carolina in 1865. 


Am I proud of his memory and honor him?  You know I do.

Do I honor his reason and cause?  No. 

Around 300 attended the monument dedication ceremony.

Old Dogs Can Learn New Things

Over 30 years of diversity in my work and relationships, coupled with a growing conviction of truth as I try to strengthen my faith in God, again are reconstructing this “unreconstructed” Rebel.  Guys, it wasn't states rights, tariffs, racism, sectional differences, etc. that caused the “War”…it was the economy and the fact that our model used an immoral means to produce our major cash crops.  SLAVERY WAS WRONG.  We screwed up.  I could write pages and pages of why, what was going on, etc….It doesn't change one thing – wrong, wrong, wrong.  And I apologize to one and all for any part of this that my ancestors took part in and for any roles they may have played in spreading this inhuman practice.

After many years, I came to agree that the Confederate battle flag (it was the Naval Jack, actually, right?) should be taken down from the top of the Statehouse.  I went along with the 2000 compromise that changed our heritage banner to the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia (Lee’s Army) and placed it at the front entrance to the Statehouse grounds. 

Today, I join reasonable people, black & white, who wonder if we shouldn’t move it on to a more proper place – a museum.  I can support that and , if for no other reason than to respect the feelings of thousands of our Palmetto State brothers and sisters, have decided that is what we should do.  Get it where it belongs.

Saturday, June 25, 2011, in a fashion, that is what I saw.  A rarity today, a new Confederate memorial was dedicated honoring the memory of 263 Confederates, killed during the “War” from Berkeley County.  Interestingly, Berkeley was one of the few counties in SC, in the South, actually, that did not have a Civil War memorial.  Well, now they do.  It was proper and right that they did so.  And it was placed and dedicated at the Berkeley County Museum. The place that all agree it should be located.

The Monument

The monument to Civil War dead is the first in Berkeley County.

The CSS David Chapter No. 2656, United Daughters of the Confederacy and the General Ellison Capers Camp No. 1212 Sons of Confederate Veterans of Moncks Corner erected the monument with the names of 263 Berkeley County soldiers who fought in the Civil War.  The group spent 15 years gathering names and raising money for the 8-ft. granite memorial.  The monument has names on both sides. “Lest We Forget These Men Who Fought For Their Freedom and Independence” is engraved on one side.  The other side says “Honoring Berkeley County Soldiers ‘Deo Vindice,’ ” the motto on the Great Seal of the Confederacy that’s usually translated as “God will vindicate.”

CSS David Chapter President Jan Stewart spent several hours making a custom-fitted black cover with a Confederate battle flag on each side that was lifted off during the ceremony.

A firepower salute from the CSA.

The dedication ceremony at Old Santee Canal Park in Moncks Corner included a gun and cannon salute.  SC Republican State Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell of Charleston, a Confederate re-enactor, gave the keynote address.  Senator McConnell, who one of my close friends calls the “Rebel Rock Star”, is a very skilled orator, whose ability to prepare  and defend his position on any subject is second to none. And this is a subject he is very passionate about.

SC Senator Glenn McConnell presented the dedication address.

Reasons brothers fought

Senator McConnell spoke on some of the lesser recognized divisions in our country in the mid 1800s.  Tariffs which benefited the North and hurt the South; a growing swell of abolitionists who felt, morally it was OK to break the established laws of the day if it applied to slavery; hypocrites everywhere, not just below the Mason-Dixon line, hurling insults of racism and intolerance and stirring up emotions; years of conflicting federal guidelines on state's rights and taxation..  And President Lincoln’s still-interesting decision through the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves in the “states of rebellion” but leave the practice intact in the North.

All valid points.  It does not change the bottom line; wrong, wrong, wrong.

Just like my great-grandfather in 1865, the Rebels begin the trip home, heads held high, after doing their duty.

That being acknowledged, I have no moral issue honoring, if not the “Lost Cause”, the individuals who fought and died for their beliefs and their homeland.  Just like today, I recognize Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a "Joshua", if you will; an individual who was willing to accept the sacrifice, danger and ultimate martyrdom of leading his people into the Promised Land. 

Friends, it is 2011.  We have passed the 150 year mark of the firing on Fort Sumter which began this ugly, but necessary chapter in our nation’s history.  It is over.  We have learned; let’s forget political correctness and any continuing distrust of other South Carolinians.  If needed, move the flag from the Statehouse to, say, the SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum.  Then, perhaps the NAACP and others can concentrate their efforts on ideas and issues that really mean something and work on some things that unite and not divide.

Now, this is important, no doubt.  I will fight to the end to honor the memory of Private O.H. Whitfield, CSA SC Cavalry; 1862 – 1865.  However, I will now also fight to the end to acknowledge the pain, suffering and cruelty of slavery; and the role and responsibility that I have had to accept as mine.  I think it is a major decision that all Southerners, particularly those of us brought up in the turbulent 1960s -1970s, have to make.  We make it, acknowledge it, apologize if we feel so lead; but then - we move on.  We ALL must move on. 

May the Lord help us all get where we need to on this and all other things…

Happy July 4. 2011!

EP

West Columbia, SC

6.27.2011

Real True Love

Granddaddy June

Grandmamma June

73 - Seventy-Three - yes, 73...

That is how many years my Granddaddy and Grandmamma June have been married.  No typo, 73 years.


They were married in Sumter on June 17, 1938.  Living the good life in Lexington now with son, Stuart and daughter-in-law, Judy, they are role models for all of us who choose and determine “one life, one mate” is the way we want to do it.  We all can’t, but it should certainly be the standard and the mark. 


At a family celebration last week, I was, as always, astounded at their attitude, outlook and love for the Lord and one another.  It is better than any soap opera on TV.  Think about it; when they were married our country was just beginning the great climb out of the Depression; Hitler invading Poland and growing WWll was still a year away and FDR had just begun his 2^nd term as President.  Now, almost ¾ of a century later, their marriage stronger than ever, they support and help each other through a much different, confusing world. And they do it in love.  Friends, I’m telling you; watching them has been one of my life’s greatest blessings and learning experiences.


Recently, during a trip to Rite Aid, Granddaddy and I chose to sit in the car and nap while the women went in the drug store.  As the women of our lives were walking in the store, out of any earshot, he reached over and tapped me on the shoulder, “Eddie”, he said pointing to Grandmamma, “I sure love that woman and don’t know what I would do without her.”  After 73 years, unsolicited; there was no reason to make a statement like that except, well, he loves her.  What a statement on the institution of marriage; I will never forget that moment.  


Happy 73^rd, Granddaddy and Grandmamma June.             

It is Hot and We Need to Help.....

     I know it is getting close to summer time, fun time in West Columbia.  I have lived in the sauna of the South my entire life.  I am used to this stuff.  But, I knew: it has been really, really hot these past few weeks; hotter than normal.  And it has been like that familiar, old sticky heat.  The heat that takes your breath away and covers like a blanket the minute you walk outside. Well,  recent published reports have confirmed it.  According to the Southeast Regional Climate Center, we have been above 90 degrees for the majority of last 25 days.  Officially, the period May 21 – June 10 was the hottest period in history in the Midlands area.  The high was 93.61 degrees, the low was 70.11, the average temp was 81.86 – all rank #1 hottest in the records going back to 1887.  I knew something was out of kilter: it was too hot, too soon.

And it does not look much better for the ending of this month ...According to the State's Joey Holleman in the Friday, June 17 edition.......

High temperatures in Columbia have never been all 90s, all the time in June. At least, they never have before.

The cold front that was expected to drop afternoon highs into the upper 80s this week was warmer than expected and the 90s continued. Wednesday appeared to the best chance for a high in the 80s, but the clouds moved out in the morning and the Columbia high hit 90 around 5 p.m.

The National Weather Service forecast for the next several days calls for highs well above 90, and the long-range forecast doesn’t offer much hope for a sub-90 day. Columbia could go the entire month with 90-degree highs.

Not only has that never happened, but the longest streak of consecutive 90-degree days in June in Columbia is 21 days, set in 1998, according to the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

Oddly, this June has yet to have a 100-degree day or to set a daily high temperature record.

Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2011/06/16/1862483/the-heat-is-on.html#ixzz1PYjdVMSk

     

     Can you imagine going through these days with no cool air?  I mean, really?  I am astounded at the number of our neighbors who are in that position. Major Jackie Brothers with the West Columbia Police Department says the calls are starting to come in, “I can only anticipate that the demand will be high due to the economy.”  The WCPD, again this year, is gathering resources to help where they can.  Fans are welcome. Cash donations are used to purchase fans. Major Brothers says priority is given to the elderly and those with medical issues who have no means of cooling their homes during the summer season.  This is a great program, friends; because we all know, whether we want to admit it, it is up to us.  The WCPD is giving us an easy vehicle to deliver this blessing. Financial contributions should be made to the West Columbia Police Officers’ Foundation at PO Box 7562, West Columbia, S.C. 29171. You can also donate through the foundation website located at www.wcpof.com. Donations are tax deductible.                        

A Southern Gentleman & Professional by any definition.....

Friends:

South Carolina has lost a huge piece of its humanity, color and gentle past.  Doug Nye, who recently passed away at the age of 69, was one of the finest newspaper professionals that ever worked at S.C.’s mark of journalism excellence – the State newspaper.

I had the pleasure and honor of working beside this multi-talented individual whose child-like curiosity and easy-going manner disarmed those around him and made people feel comfortable in conversations with him.

I met Doug shortly after joining the State circulation department in 1982.  He was polite, reasonable and compassionate; qualities that aren’t nearly as important in today’s bottom-line world.  Over the next 14 years, as Doug moved over to TV/Entertainment for the State and I grew into responsibility for most deadline issues for circulation, we became good friends and watched, a little shell-shocked, as the ownership, corporate culture and journalistic mission of South Carolina’s largest newspaper changed dramatically. 

The first big change came in 1986; the Knight-Ridder purchase.  We quickly learned what joining the big boys in Miami, Philadelphia, Detroit and San Jose was going to be like.  In 1987, due to industry shifts and lifestyle changes, the Columbia Record was discontinued.  Around 1991, internet numbers began to rise and newspaper numbers began to drop.  Aggressive pricing made the drop happen even faster for the State.  Even though this eventually would have taken place under any ownership, the way these issues were handled made many long-time employees uncomfortable. It speaks volumes that there are no Knight-Ridder newspapers today.  Their corporate culture is more suited to handling machines than people; and rests more comfortable in California, than on Shop Road in Columbia.  

Doug accepted this better than most.  And he was directly affected.  When told that he may no longer be able to attend the yearly TV Writers Convention in Hollywood due to budget, the source for many of his stories throughout the year, he shrugged it off and said he would still find a way to publish a TV section every day.

And that he did.  He knew old movies, Westerns, comic books, S.C and U.S. history and, of course, sports.  And he knew them all fluently.  This wide ranging knowledge, coupled with a humorous, easy-to-read writing style made him a hit with readers.  The man was an expert on the USC-Clemson rivalry.  He recited stats and scores from memory that were astounding.  Also astonishing was his ability to recall old movie titles and stars in even, minor roles.  You did not want to get into a game of Trivial Pursuit with this guy.

Amazingly, as his stature and reputation deservedly began to rise around the State; as he began interviewing the likes of Bob Hope and Tom Selleck, his attitude toward his old friends and colleagues never changed.  While he easily could have joined in the Knight-Ridder culture of that era - aggressive employee competition, survival of the fittest and get ahead at any cost, he chose not to; he was the same, level-headed, smiling Doug to friends and colleagues his entire career.

I didn’t see Doug much after leaving the State in 1996.  We saw each other at a couple of USC games and chatted at the Georgia game in Athens in 2001, 3 days before 9-1-1.  He called me shortly after my departure in 1996 and in that wonderful innocent manner expressed his shock and displeasure at the circumstances; and assured me that if I needed anything to call him.  And I know he meant it.

Doug Nye was one of the most unique individuals I ever met.  He rode the waves of life with calmness, wisdom, loyalty, compassion and a strong love for his friends and his family.  I’m not sure a man could have finer qualities.  I know my life was enriched by knowing him.  And so were the lives of thousands of others all over South Carolina. May he rest in peace.

Eddie Parker

West Columbia, S.C