… “Memorial Day the holiday however is a day that we as country pay respect to the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. They gave their lives. You will notice if you go to a cemetery or even pass one the graves are covered with flowers and flags more so than on any other day of the year.
The practice of decorating soldiers’ graves with flowers is an ancient custom. Soldiers’ graves were decorated in the U.S. before and during the American Civil War.
Some believe that an annual cemetery decoration practice began before the American Civil War and thus may reflect the real origin of the “memorial day” idea. Annual Decoration Days for particular cemeteries are still held on a Sunday in late spring or early summer in some rural areas of the American South, notably in the mountain areas. In cases involving a family graveyard where remote ancestors as well as those who were deceased more recently are buried, this may take on the character of an extended family reunion to which some people travel hundreds of miles. People gather, put flowers on graves and renew contacts with relatives and others. There often is a religious service and a picnic-like “dinner on the grounds,” the traditional term for a potluck meal at a church.
On June 3, 1861, Warrenton, Virginia was the location of the first Civil War soldier’s grave ever to be decorated, according to a Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper article in 1906. In 1862, women in Savannah, Georgia decorated Confederate soldiers’ graves according to the Savannah Republican. The 1863 cemetery dedication at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was a ceremony of commemoration at the graves of dead soldiers. On July 4, 1864, ladies decorated soldiers’ graves according to local historians in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. Boalsburg promotes itself as the birthplace of Memorial Day…”
The whole history lesson is available at Aberdeen’s Wedding Florists Blog, but it reflects a speech I heard yesterday at our tiny-town MEMORIAL REMEMBRANCE DAY gathering. I closed that ceremony by playing TAPS on my trombone – the second time in my life I played it with such feeling I brought tears to my own eyes. The first was when we interred my Dad in a military cemetery.
Through the speeches at the Darby Memorial Remembrance Day yesterday and afterwards I could not escape the overpowering knowledge that the USofA military I and so many others served is a wonderful machine of human energy, beautiful spirits and tremendous ingenuity that is fully operated, controlled and directed by psychopaths, sociopaths, global banksters, and inhumane opportunists.
While avoiding overpowering military dictatorships by putting non-military individuals in charge is a great idea in theory, the reality is that really ugly individuals dedicate their lives to gaining control of the levers of power. The worst of the worst establish dynasties to control the world’s military might in perpetuity … Skull And Bones, Bilderberg Group, United Nations, Council on Foreign Relations, World Health Organization …
General Smedley Butler wrote The Book on this situation after a hugely successful career as one of the premier military leaders in the world: War Is A Racket. He was instrumental in replacing self-governed countries with puppet governments operated by the same banksters mentioned above. Those are often referred to as “The Banana Wars” with resultant “Banana Republics” that are ugly and inhumane BY DESIGN. Unsurprisingly, the banksters came out ahead every time.
In a real mind-bending revelation, I recently began seeing “We fought the wrong enemy” statements by General George Patton at the end of World War II as shockingly plausible. What if arguably the greatest general of that war saw enough, learned enough to realize the real truth? What if the Germans were on the right side? What if this great USofA and Allied military machine was working for the banksters? Patton’s death shortly after publicly stating that was suspicious, but unsurprisingly lightly investigated.
Wow!
So I feel passion, love and tenderness for our veterans who died in those wars. I can honor Memorial Day with great respect for those who fought darkness with their whole beings. I really dislike the “ultimate sacrifice” phrase that is so popular on these occasions.
None of us entered military service to sacrifice our lives. We fought to win. We fought to defeat the bad guys. We fought as integral parts of awesome teams. We fought to protect the good folks in our communities. We sure as heck did not knowingly dive into early graves.
Sadly, we may have fought the wrong wars and for the wrong side.
My tears are for the beautiful people.
P.S. I may soon touch on the “Monday Holiday” trick used to separate us from our history, the meaning behind the original holidays and the connection to people of value from our pasts. The real Memorial Day was, is, and should always be May 30th. Today it happens to fall on a Monday.