Nonprofit organization
The Military Order of the Stars and Bars (MOSB) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in the United States that is based in Nixa, Missouri.[1] It is a lineage society founded in 1938 for men who are descended from military officers or political leaders in the Confederate States of America (CSA).
History
The order was founded in 1938 in Columbia, South Carolina, at a meeting attended by 17 former Confederate officers and 47 male descendants of Confederate officers. They voted to begin a new CSA veterans society to hold annual meetings and chose the name of the "Order of the Stars and Bars".[2]
The organization changed its name to "The Military Order of the Stars and Bars" at the 39th General Convention held in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1976.[2] It adopted the Confederate battle flag as the official insignia of the order.[2]
Organization
The executive director is called the "Commander General of the Military Order of the Stars and Bars".[2] The current executive director (as of 2022) is Jon E. Trent. The organization awards scholarships and literary awards for books about Confederate history.[3]
At the initiation of new members and at the beginning of meetings, members pledge to "commemorate and honor the service of leadership these men rendered" and salute the Confederate flag "with affection, reverence and undying devotion for the Cause for which it stands".[2]
The group is loosely affiliated with the Sons of Confederate Veterans, another neo-Confederate group.[4] Some people are members of both organizations.[4] The Sons of Confederate Veterans was reported in March of 2002 to have been taken over by "Neo-Confederate extremists".[4]
See also
References
External links
