The DCSAR 2024 Awards Banquet and Installation of Officers was held on April 30, 2024, at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia. The invocation and blessing were given by The Rev. Dr. John Stonesifer, DCSAR Chaplain. Greetings on behalf of our guests were given by DC DAR State Regent Elizabeth Hicks. Among our other guests were the Honorable Michael McCaul, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, US House of Representatives; James Engler Vice President General – SAR Mid-Atlantic District; Michael J. Elston, Treasurer General, NSSAR; John D. Urbach, President, MDSAR; Jeffrey D. Thomas, VA SAR former Trustee and nominee for Historian General, NSSAR; Janet McFarland, Corresponding Secretary General, Daughters of the American Revolution; Lenna Hoffman, Senior State President D.C. C.A.R.; Robert Henry ”Ric” Murphy, President General, Society of the First African Families of English America; and Group Captain Peter J. R. Warmerdam, Assistant Air and Space Attaché of the United Kingdom to the United States.
Chairman McCaul was the guest speaker for the event. He began by saying “the most serious matters that any member of Congress deals with are matters of war and peace. It’s those votes that are the most consequential votes of your career.” Chairman McCaul quoted George Washington by saying “The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die. There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet an enemy.” He further quoted Secretary Mike Pompeo and General Jack Keane from a letter that they recently wrote to Congress, “we write at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history to applaud your efforts to secure vital support to America’s allies and to strengthen America’s defenses.”
Congressman McCaul discussed some of the international events that are challenging to American’s resolve to support its allies including Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Chairman Xi threatening Taiwan in the Pacific, to the Ayatollah rearing “his ugly head” invading Israel through his proxies. McCaul stated that we must put the interest of the nation above ourselves and to do what is right take moral compass, courage and clarity. He opined the need for us to speak with one voice as a nation, especially when addressing our adversaries. McCaul said “we must be prepared to confront the enemies of freedom and democracy who seek to undermine the values this nation was founded upon”.
Chairman McCaul concluded by saying that the world and our adversaries are watching us today and that history will judge us by our actions here today and now. He said history is calling and now is the time to act.
President Ritchie announced the SAR awards that were presented to those recipients who were present after informing that the SAR Public Safety Awards were presented earlier during the month.
Group Captain Peter J. R. Warmerdam - D.C. Society Honor in Service Medal; Aryssa Damron and Rachel Hicks - Martha Washington Medal; Lauren Dore, Lenna Hoffman, Leigh Maltby and Rachel Norman - NSSAR Medal of Appreciation; Patrick Anderson and Eric Conrad - Bronze Roger Sherman Medal; Joel Hinzman - NSSAR CAR Bronze Medal of Appreciation; Rachel Norman and D.C.C.A.R. State President Mia Malur - Silver SAR / CAR Silver Medal of Appreciation; Jonathan Brightbill and Rev. John Stonesifer - Silver Roger Sherman Medal; Steven Michael Cramner - Chapter Medal of Distinguished Service; Lane Douglas Brooks - State Medal of Distinguished Service; Janet McFarland - Daughters of Liberty Medal.
During his valedictory, President Ritchie thanked and expressed gratitude to a host of compatriots who assisted him from his SAR induction on July 4, 2016, through his two-year term as the first African American state level president in the 134-year of the SAR that concluded this evening. Ritchie gave special recognition to DCSAR Secretary Paul Melvin Hays and to his wife Past DCDAR State Regent Cindy Shelton Hays with the commission of the first DCSAR Presidential Service Recognition Award jointly presented to Paul and Cindy. They received a standing ovation during the award presentation.
Vice President General Engler administered the oath to the recently elected officers of the DCSAR. He presented the gavel to President Brock D. Bierman who then received the DCSAR presidential badge and ribbon from Past President Ritchie. President Bierman’s first official act was presenting Past President Ritchie with the Patriot Medal.
President Bierman was originally installed as the 110th President of DCSAR during April 2017. During his 1st term Brock resigned his position as president and was subsequently confirmed by the United States Senate as Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Europe and Eurasia after receiving a presidential appointment.
Currently, Brock is President and CEO of Ukraine Focus, a humanitarian organization committed to working directly with communities across Ukraine to meet urgent assistance needs through direct cooperation and collaboration with Ukrainian local, state and federal authorities. He is founder of the Volunteer Ambulance Corps, which partners to source, procure, repair, and deliver ambulances to communities across Ukraine’s front lines. Brock has helped raise more than two million dollars to purchase and rehabilitate 123 ambulances. Other aspects of Ukraine Focus include Playgrounds 4 Peace and Light Up Ukraine, a program that has delivered generators and thousands of solar lamps to those without power. President Bierman has received honors for his humanitarian contributions.
After brief remarks by President Bierman, Rev Stonesifer gave the benediction. After-dinner libations were served on the Terrace with cigars courtesy of John Crouch Tobacconist.