Dear Editor,

My name is Dick Bryant, and I am a frequent traveller to St. Maarten. I have also visited St. Eustatius, Saba, and many other nearby islands in the past 30 years and we frequently wear our "blue beads" in support of our love for the region and its history.

I am also a member of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution - www.saar.org. St. Eustatius has a well-known, long-standing historical relationship with the US, going back to the salute to US ships during the Caribbean. Similarly, I was told by the historical society office in Marigot that they believed St. Maarten/St. Martin also was supportive of the US initiative for independence. It is for that reason I write you today.

I have been visiting with the President General of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution about the idea of forming a Caribbean Chapter of the SAR. We are a lineage society composed of males who can trace their roots to an individual who lived in a country that supported the cause of American Independence and/or who had a revolutionary war ancestor.

While most mainland SAR members have traced their roots to a soldier of the Revolutionary War, individuals are members of the Spanish and French societies because of their lineage to family of this era, who lived in pro-Independence nations. We need 15 members from the region to form such a chapter and, of course, the benefit for the hospitality industry is that dual membership of members would encourage travel to meetings in the Caribbean.

Do you know of anyone who would have an interest in exploring this idea? I understand that we actually have one new member from St. Thomas and two or three Cubans who may soon qualify. I would also think that residents of Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten/St. Martin, with long family trees, might well qualify.

Best Wishes and thanks for reviewing this or forwarding this along, perhaps in your letters to the editor.

Dick Bryant