John Blackshoe sends: Memorial Day - It’s not about BBQs, a day off, store sales or even all veterans.

Decoration Day
Carl Hirschberg
(Source)

After the huge losses in the Civil War, (albeit more from disease than combat) citizens sought ways to honor the dead soldiers. In May of 1865 freedmen in Charleston, SC, decorated the graves of Union prisoners who had been buried in that city. In 1866 citizens and veterans gathered in Waterloo, New York, to honor their fallen with flowers, speeches and picnics. In 1868 the Grand Army of the Republic issued a call for an annual national commemoration on May 30th, and the name Decoration Day or Memorial Day was pretty much interchangeable from then on. In Southern states, more restrained honors and commemorations took place honoring the Americans who died fighting for the South. By the 1880s, secessionist animosities began to heal, and by 1900 joint Union and Confederate ceremonies were common. As time went on, dead from other wars, ranging from Custer’s defeat, the Spanish American War, WW1 and WW2, and our other forays into world trouble spots were included as honorees.

In 1968 a pandering Congress connived to move a bunch of holidays to Mondays instead of specific days, and Memorial Day became the last Monday every May. We began to see holidays used as excuses for sales, and actual reasons for individual holidays faded, especially with the distaste for the Vietnam War. In recent years, military appreciation has returned somewhat, and it is nice to have people think good things about veterans again, especially on 11 November Veterans Day (grown from the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month “Armistice Day” ending WW1). By all means, let all of us vets and supporters celebrate all who served, and hoist a beer in toast of all comrades, living and dead, but on Veterans Day, not Memorial Day.

Memorial Day is sacred to the honor of those who died in service to our country, not merely served.

Many people know many veterans, included a few who perished in service. Sadly, a growing number of Americans to not know any veterans, or worse, actively dislike veterans. 

This Memorial Day, spend a few minutes thinking of some you know who died in service, in peace or war, combat or training. They all served and paid the ultimate price. Here are a few I will remember:

William Allen Rees, 1943-1968. 1LT USA, died in Vietnam 5 May 1968 near Quang Tri when his AH-1G Cobra helicopter 67-15500 was shot down by ground fire, less than 3 months after he arrived in country. We were high school sports teammates.

(Source)

Yup, it does feel like this.
(Source)

Sixteen Navy officers and enlisted who died in the 6 October 1978 crash of U.S. Navy R6D-1 BUNO 13618 [C-118 aka C-54/DC6] transport plane which impacted a hill south of Santiago de Chile in bad weather, killing all aboard. The aircraft and crew from Detroit based Naval Reserve Transport Squadron VR-52 were supporting Operation UNITAS XIX, a joint training exercise by the navies of the United States, Peru, Chile and other South American countries. My ship’s postal clerk was one of the 16 dead.

(Source)

Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Shannon Mary Kent, USN (1985-2019)

This woman’s awesome accomplishments exceed the combined actions of a multiple superlative individuals. She overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles and challenges and truly made a difference in the field with Special Warfare operators. She was killed by a suicide bomber attack in Manbij, Syria on 19 January 2019.

CTICS Kent and her grave at Arlington National Cemetery
(Source)

She survived thyroid cancer, earned Bachelors and Masters degrees while having two children and working full time with special warfare support units and the National Security Administration. She was fluent in Arabic and at least three other foreign languages. She earned the greatest respect from those she worked with as a truly overachiever “bad ass” in the most competitive and dangerous military environments. She volunteered for four deployments with Spec War types doing highly classified, dangerous, and effective missions.

Her husband (now widower), Joseph Kent is a (now) retired U.S. Army Special Forces Warrant Officer raising their two children in rural Washington state. He very narrowly lost an election for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District in 2022 and is running again this year. I chose to show my humble respect for his heroic wife by contributing to his campaign.

A biography on CTICS Kent was recently released, but I have not gotten a copy yet. “Send Me” available from Amazon) Meanwhile, I urge you to take a few minutes to read some background on her at these three links.

The Legend of Chief Shannon Kent

(The author of this piece teamed with her widower to write biography “Send Me” available from Amazon.)

New York Times Magazine account of her memorial service.

UK Daily Mail account of her service with more photos.

Thank you, God, for those who have defended our country, and paid the ultimate price.