Sons
of Union Veterans of the Civil War
Department of Michigan
Curtenius Guard Camp #17
Lansing/Sunfield, Michigan
CAMP NEWS
The Honorable James B. Pahl was elected as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on August 12, 2006. Brother Pahl is the sixth individual from Michigan (and the second from the Curtenius Guard Camp #17) to be elected to the Order's highest position in the 125 years of existence of the SUVCW (and 23 years of the existance of the Camp). He is a direct descendant of Private John Boyer of Company A, 29th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry.
At the Camp level, Brother Pahl has served the Curtenius Guard Camp #17 as Counselor, Secretary, Junior Vice Commander, Senior Vice Commander, and Commander, and was awarded the Curtenius Guard Camp #17 Samuel W. Grinnell Award for outstanding service.
At the Department level, Brother Pahl has served the Department of Michigan as Counselor, Junior Vice Commander, Senior Vice Commander, and Commander, and was awarded the Department of Michigan's Abraham Lincoln Certificate of Appreciation Award for outstanding service.
At the National level, Brother Pahl has served the SUVCW National Organization as Senior Vice Commander-in-Chief, Junior Vice Commander-in-Chief, National Counselor for 10 years, member and chair of the National Committee on Constitution and Regulations, and National Treasurer for four years, and was awarded the SUVCW National Organization's Cornelius F. Whitehouse Outstanding Brother of the Year Award. Brother Pahl also is a member of the Sons of Veterans Reserve, currently serving as the Judge Advocate General.
Brother. Pahl is a former police officer of 20 years and currently sits as the presiding Magistrate in and for the 55th Judicial District Court located in Mason. Brother Pahl resides in Mason, Michigan with his wife, Carol.
The SUVCW was created in 1881 by the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) (Union Civil War veterans). It is congressionally charted and is the legal heir to and representative of the GAR. The purpose of the SUVCW is to perpetuate the memory of the GAR and of the men who saved the Union 1861 to 1865; to assist in every practicable way in the preservation and making available for research of documents and records pertaining to the GAR and its members; to cooperate in doing honor to all who have patriotically served our country in any war; to teach patriotism, and the duties of citizenship, the true history of our country, and the love and honor of our flag. Some of the activities of the SUVCW conducts nationally include locating and recording the grave sites of every individual who served in the armed services of the United States during the Civil War, locating and documenting the condition of every monument to the Union veterans who served in the Civil War, restoring when funds are available, Civil War monuments that have been damaged through years of neglect or vandals, land the locating and documenting the existence of every GAR Post and, where possible, the Post’s records. The SUVCW membership is just under 7,000 nationally and 500 within Michigan.
KGH