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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

KATHLEEN WYER LANE APPOINTED SR. VP TO THE KADY BROWNELL CHAPTER OF DAUGHTERS OF UNION VETERANS OF THE CIVIL WAR

New York, January 22, 2012… Chez Josephine, the restaurant named after Josephine Baker was the site for the Installation of the 2012 officers of the Kady Brownell Chapter of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

Its Sr. Vice President, Kathleen Wyer Lane said, “Our mission is to commemorate our lineal ancestors who served in the Civil War and to remember and support the veterans of all wars. Josephine Baker was a descendent of a Civil War soldier and a war hero. She was awarded the Croix de Guerre, Légion d'Honneur, by President Charles De Gaulle and the Rosette of the Résistance for her heroism in World War II. Chez Josephine was the perfect setting for our Installation ceremony.” The highlight of the Installation luncheon was Jean-Claude Baker’s reading of Josephine’s military history from his best selling book, “Josephine Baker: The Hungry Heart.”

Wyer Lane has been a member of the Kady Brownell Chapter since 2007. Her ancestors Joseph Wyer (b. 1821) and his son, Edward Wyer were mustered into the Union Army’s Ullmann’s Brigade. In the spring of 1863, Edward Wyer a 14-year-old drummer boy, traveled with the Brigade to Louisiana. According to the Civil War’s Official records, Ullmann’s Brigade, renamed the Corps D’Afrique, is listed in the Order of Battle at Port Hudson, the longest and one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War. Later, the Corps D’Afrique was renamed the United States Colored Troops.

Wyer Lane is very proud that the Kady Brownell Chapter has a living member of their chapter, Caruth Washington Smith, who is the daughter of a Civil War soldier. Corporal Andrew Jackson Smith of the 55th Massachusetts Voluntary Infantry Regiment was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism at the Battle of Honey Hill, South Carolina.

http://www.suvcw.org/ftp/2001proceedings.pdf

http://www.bjmjr.net/sp_event/ajs_ceremony.htm

http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/MedalofHonor%20Quest.htm

Kathleen Wyer Lane’s dedication to the mission of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War coupled with her research on the Corps D’Afrique continues to strengthen her commitment to the commemoration of the Civil War. “We are entering the second year of the Civil War Sesquicentennial. According to Civil War historian, Bennie J McRae Jr, there are approximately 5 million African Americans who are descended from or have allied family members who served in the US Colored Troops. I do hope that African Americans will embrace their Civil War legacy. They must always remember that their ancestors were pivotal players in the defeat of slavery and the Confederate Army.”

Kathleen Wyer Lane is a marketing consultant whose mission is to support the branding of a client’s product or service by creating and implementing programs and strategies that center on the arts, culture and history. Recently she has lectured to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Oliver Tilden Camp #26 and the Daughters of the American Revolution on the history of the Union Army’s Corps D’Afrique.

For more information contact Barfield Public Relations 212-736-0404 or PB736@aol.com