Memorial Day Honor

Memorial Day celebrations usually involve cemeteries putting out flags on veteran graves, and Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington put out the call for help to all the local scout groups.

(That's my "Well, we don't want to go over where everybody else is" look!)

Putting flags by stone markers is fun, but just waving a flag is great too.

We were assigned the cemetery section where Union Soldiers that served in the Civil War were buried.

Laughing over the funny name: Georgia Bing Eaton

Doing a little patriotic marching while waiting for a "reader" to call for a cute flag holder.

Porter excited to not only find a veteran's grave, but a "Burgler, U.S. Army, World War I."

Sawyer just plain happy. Definitely a must-do for next year's Memorial Day celebration.

In honor of Memorial Day, I share with you the following unbelievable—no really, you will not believe this—story of the suffering endured by those who serve in the military to protect American freedoms, which I just finished transcribing from the World War II letters of my Grandmother Grace:

“Another boy I know of has had the whole top of his head blown off and has a metal top with skin taken from his leg grafted over it. What horrors those poor lads must suffer. If and of course we must believe there is a God—Why does he allow such wicked, wicked things to occur? If we must kill and be killed why not these killers in these lock ups, why all the nice, clean living and clean minded boys? Why? Why? Why? War is so wrong. Surely it all must end soon and these crazy-mad-wicked people stopped. You must wonder at my wild raving etc. I have heard so much today to prompt it that it isn’t even funny. 

"In Woonsocket there is a little electric shop somewhere and this young married lad went in to get some part for something he was repairing for his wife. He got one or two things but couldn’t get the rest. The man told him it was due to the war. One thing led to another and they were deeply involved discussing the war. Roger noticed the man as he talked begin to shake and have a funny look about him so asked if he was okay. His answer was, “You want to know what's wrong? Come over here and I’ll show you. He took Roger behind the counter and dropped his pants and pulled up his shirt. "This is what World War #1 did to me, and World W #2 has taken my son. They’ve murdered him." Roger said he almost fainted for his whole front part of his body was glass & you could see all the workings of his insides."