My father rarely spoke about his experiences in the army during World War II.  I know about the Purple Heart that collected dust in his dresser drawer and the remains of the bullet the field surgeons extracted from his back. What else do I know about his years in the army?  I know he didn’t like military discipline.  My father was anything but a radical, but the idea of following orders, especially illogical ones, did not suit his anti-authoritarian temperament.  Read more...

Growing up in a relatively patriotic family in America, I had the experience of partaking in various American rituals and practices throughout the year: watching fireworks while eating pudding on the Fourth of July, seeing military heroes march in parades, and ceasing from the vast amounts of labor expected of me from a very young age (kidding). Every time we would celebrate these holidays, we would do it with joy and fanfare. Our focus was about the new, the changes, and the revolutions, centered on what was to come. Read more...

 “A season is set for everything, a time for every experience under heaven… A time for weeping and a time for laughing.  A time for mourning and a time for dancing” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 3:4).  Read more...

The year was 1868. General John Logan issued General Order No. 11 calling for a national day of remembrance for Civil War dead. May 30 of that year was the day designated for this observance.  Flowers were placed on the graves of the fallen soldiers of both the Union and Confederate Armies. From this, Memorial Day was eventually instituted as a national day of observance. Read more...