A Day With Heroes - Past and Present

On Monday, January 2, 2012 I was honored to
be invited to speak at the Fort Collins Civil War Roundtable meeting. I have been attending the meetings since last summer and have learned so much about this war. This group is like gathering the best CivilWar scholars in one place. These folks know this war inside out.

My presentation was not solely about the Civil War. I would never have the nerve to stand in front of this group of people and profess to know anything about the Civil War that they didn't already know about. My presentation is a Power Point program entitled, "America's Last Soldiers and Their Wars". I offered to do it and they accepted my offer.

Since the group always meets on the 1st Monday of each month, except in the summer, it fell on the day after New Years. I figured there wouldn't be many attend, because for many the holidays continue well into the next week. But, I was pleased and surprised when we had to find more chairs as people started arriving. Of course, the beautiful Colorado day was a big help as well. It was absolutely gorgeous outside.

I like it when the group interacts with the program and we had a great time interacting. These are folks that aren't the least bit bashful about asking questions, and hard ones at that. They are also very outspoken about their views. The majority are men and most are veterans. I knew in advance that this would be a fun day.

It turned out to be a nice afternoon with several telling of their memories and knowledge to the group. I enjoyed the whole affair. My equipment behaved as it should, which is always a big relief. The crowd was friendly. The interaction was great.

I sort of surprised them when I got to what they thought was the end, and then told of the ladies that served in each war, and the MIA/POWs. It wasn't really anything they didn't already know but I feel it was presented in a pleasant and organized manner. It was a break from the more serious subjects we will see in the coming year. These folks are here to share some pretty detailed information about the Civil War

It was a good day for me. Even though I am battling the "cold of the century" I managed to pull together enough to do the program and without a hint of the misery I have been in for the past few days. I guess it is true that the mind is stronger than matter.

So with this story, I am off and running toward a great 2012. I know it, and stay tuned. Patj