Memorial Day 2018 (sort of)

Fairview Cemetery (looking East)

As in recent past years, my way to mark Memorial Day (aka Decoration Day) this year consisted of walking to nearby Fairview Cemetery to place American flags on the graves on military veterans. I was there from 8:45 a.m. until 10:15 a.m. The weather was dry, hot (near 90F) and rather humid. This year I started out with a few names in Section 15 (near the front of the cemetery) but then grabbed a few more bundles of flags and meandered around seeking graves that were missed by those before me.

As I write this, our town's parade and speeches are wrapping up. I used to attend this but it became too unbearable for me due to the over politicizing and pandering to blind patriotism by the politicians and frivolous parades consisting of unaware and ignorant civic groups eager to leave for picnics, BBQs, and the beaches.

Memorial Day originally stated off as a somber day of remembrance of  the Civil War dead. It was a day when Americans went to the cemetery to decorate the graves of our war dead (not veterans). Today, Memorial Day has merely become a holiday marking the beginning of the summer season. What to do? At least say a prayer for peace and contemplate how you might be a force to avoid adding to the toll of war dead.

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Links:

http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2017/05/flag-planting-at-fairview-cemetery.html
http://www.usmemorialday.org/?page_id=2
http://ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2018/may/26/real-patriotism-on-memorial-day-means-losing-fewer-soldiers-in-meaningless-wars/

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Written Monday 28 May 2018