About SAMS Post 328

The Post petitioned the National Organization via Commander Jim McKinney for a charter on September 30, 1987, which was granted on July 25, 1988. The Post is named after one of Tennessee's greatest heroes, Alvin C. York, also known as Sergeant York, with the permission of his surviving family. Sergeant York was one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, gathering 35 machine guns, killing at least 25 enemy soldiers and capturing 132 prisoners.

The 1st Commander was Patrick Spence, the 1st Adjutant was David Rutherford, who later was elected National SAMS Commander. The petition stated that “The SGT Alvin C. York Post comprised of Tennessee Volunteers will blaze a trail of public service and dedication. Signing the petition were James McKinney, Charles H. Armstrong, Jr., Eugene G. Smith, Fred A Killefer, David L. Rutherford, William Crawford, III, Malcolm McInnis, Robert F. Shaw, Lewis B. Spivey, Mike A. Stephenson, K. James Frazer, Jasper D. Payne, James D. Crawford, Pat Spence, F. Houston Lowery and Frank B. Bratton. 

Since its inception the Post has been the Official Color Guard for Gatlinburg Highland Games/dba Smoky Mountain Highland Games (1997), the Dandridge Celtic Festival and we provide a color guard for the annual Knoxville Veterans Day Parade and the annual Burns Dinner hosted by the Scottish Society of Knoxville. The Post started a newsletter in 1992 and started a commemorative Scottish Dirk Award to a deserving member of both the Army and Air Force ROTC at the University of TN-Knoxville, (awardees must be of Celtic descent). The Post also awards the SAMS JROTC medal set to deserving high school JROTC students. Since these awards’ inception, the Post now awards the dirk to the Army ROTC at East Tennessee State University well as UT-K and awards the SAMS JROTC medal set to 29 highs schools in 12 counties thru out East Tennessee and 3 States (TN, KY, AR)

The Scottish American Military Society, LTD was formed by a group of about a dozen men at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in 1978. These men felt a need for a veteran's organization and current members of the military who were of Scottish descent. At a meeting that Saturday evening at the Holiday Inn in Banner Elk by Randy Downey, the organization was discussed, and it was decided to make it happen. Among the Charter members were Hal Morrison, K. James Frazer, William J. Frazer, Lewis Spivey, Robert Shaw and Randy Downey. Randy was elected as the 1st National Commander of SAMS. 

Since that initial meeting of approximately a dozen men the organization has grown to over 3,000 men and women from around the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand. As its motto, the group chose “With Fire and Sword”, the challenge and password of the Over the Mountain patriots during the Battle of King's Mountain and the latter Battle of Cowpens in the American Revolutionary War. The patch commemorates the Battle of King's Mountain, a major turning point in the war, where a Scot (British LTC Patrick Ferguson) was defeated by another Scot (Patriot COL William Campbell).