Puffs

Memorial Days can just come and go . . . sort of like birthdays. Sometimes you don't like to think about them.

However, just like birthdays they are important. Nobody is "glorifying" war as some claim, we are just trying to say "Thank You" to all the military veterans who have gone out of their way to help continue this way of governing ourselves.

However, almost each and every year something seems to be different and unique. This year, I came across two things, one humorous, one profound.

1: The American Legion Post No. 45 has an Honor Guard for military veterans' funerals, for Memorial Day observances and various other activities, that does an outstand job. Monday, they performed at Sacred Heart Cemetery, St. Stephen's cemetery, Evergreen Cemetery, Rosemont Cemetery and Oak Creek Cemetery. It was at the Rosemont Cemetery where it got interesting.

As far as I know, only two people out of all that were at Rosemont observed this.

The firing squad always has 'blank' rifle cartridges when they perform. However, at Rosemont, something happened that led two of us to wonder.

The "21 Gun Salute" for the veterans consists of three shots by each of the seven men in the squad. Now, the Rosemont cemetery is not a large cemetery and it is surrounded by trees. I, along with Connie Reiman, were standing under tree branches to the side the squad was aiming their rifles. Within a second, or maybe two, after the first shots were fired, something fell out of the tree and hit the ground with a "thud" within several feet of both of us.

I looked and saw a baby bird (a Robin) lying still on the ground. I returned to watch the rest of the ceremony and then looked back for the bird. It was no longer at the spot I saw it initially, but I saw it just a few feet away.

The timing was so perfect that it seemed to have been shot by one of the firing squad's guns.

The baby bird hopped away. I'll always wonder what happed to it every Memorial Day from now on.

2: The second reason to remember Memorial Day, 2024, took place at the St. Stephen parish cemetery.

As I was walking from one grave site to another, I came across the line of small headstones usually indicating the burial of an infant. I noticed only one of the graves had a flower by it. A small bouquet of yellow flowers marked the grave site. On the top was engraved: "Infant Son – 1925". On the front side was engraved: "J H & E Gilsdorf."

I thought to myself, "gosh, 99 years after this infant died, someone remembered him with a small bouquet of flowers. I hope I lived my life well enough to be remembered 99 years after I die."

This poor little baby boy didn't do anything to need additional prayers for his eternal life, but I think I may well be in need of such assistance.

A O

No political comments this week. I don't want to spoil the fine memories of Memorial Day, 2024 and of all the fine veterans in our area cemeteries.

A O