Bear's Den: "Memorial Day - A Vital Symbol"

Author´s note:

Folks, please excuse this unedited column. I usually can´t spell my name, unless I look at my driver´s license, and just don´t have time to properly edit this piece. The last 18 months, my wife has gone through leukemia and a bone marrow transplant, and two weeks ago, our 16-year-old daughter was in a bad roll-over accident. The Creator is mighty and they´re both doing pretty well. But while my time is short, I did want to mention symbolism and its importance on this Memorial Day. Thus I appreciate your tolerance of my bad grammar and equally bad manners for submitting this unedited column. Megwetch, (Thanks), Walks-As-Bear

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Ya know, Memorial Day is a national symbol for those protectors of us who are now gone. Well, American Indians have always had a deep and enduring appreciation for symbols. To us, they are extremely vital and powerfully meaningful. They say who we are, what we´ve done, and what we stand for. But, truth be told – and like it or don´t – symbols are that way for everyone – they just are. Were they not, then you´d often be walking into the wrong public restroom and experiencing embarrassment, or taking something orally... that used to have a scull & crossbones on it... and experiencing something worse than humiliation. Sure, it´s as simple as that, and as dangerous that, at the same time. So, while going into the wrong bathroom may only ´decorate´ your face with crimson, that´s nothing compared to making a mistake on something as vital as say, respect and honor for what a day or flag symbolizes. Yep, even those dining on Ambrosia and residing in Utopia won´t like attending the ´memorial´ service that this continued disrespecting of symbols could lead to.

Now symbols have been around for as long as the Earth Mother´s creatures. You see it every day in the wild. As with most all of the Great Mystery´s creations, females of any species vastly outnumber the males. There are simply ´fewer´ males than females – period. Yeah, and males in almost every species of wild critter are normally colored or adorned more vibrantly than the females. This wasn´t done by the Creator because He liked guys better – nah. He did it this way so that a male would standout from the crowd, making it easier for the females to find him. Thus this symbolism is vital for the specie´s procreativity and survival. Innate biology works this way, to my mind, in the two-legged world, when anequi-wa(woman) is imprudently drawn to a ´bad man´ because it is this bad ele-ne(man)… which stands out most clearly in the crowd of good men. In many ways – we are the same. Male deer have antlers, as symbols of their gender and status, and drake mallard ducks have vibrantly colored heads for similar reasons. Military people wear sharp uniforms, bedecked with symbols of their accomplishments. Symbols are vital for the wild ones and so it is with us two-leggeds, too. Yep, and Memorial Day is one such important symbol for all Americans.

Memorial Day, began as a way to symbolize respect, honor and appreciation for deceased members of the armed forces. It was started by a widow of a Confederate soldier, who took one annual Sunday to decorate the graves of both Confederate and Union soldiers alike. She called it ´Decoration Day´ and it caught on, eventually becoming a national holiday. Today, it´s simply evolved into a symbol of a three-day weekend for many. But it means more to others – much more. They decorate veterans´ graves with symbols of U.S. flags and individual U.S. military service branch flags. These are placed as a ´symbol´ of honor and appreciation for those ´few´ who´ve defended us. These things symbolize much, in way of deed, pain, anguish, blood and death incurred, to maintain all Americans´ freedom. These symbols are mighty and deserve hallowed respect from all who reside in this land. This is because, just as if the wild males did not have their ´needed´ symbols, then their species would cease to exist, then so it is... that if we do not revere and honor the symbols that our warriors need, so then will our species – Americans – cease to exist.

Sadly, it seems that many Americans nowadays think that they have eaten and drank of Ambrosia – the mythical sustenance of the Greek Gods which grants immortality. Yep, and they reside in the make-believe of their minds... in the land of Utopia – an unreal place of ideal perfection. Uh-huh, and because of this freedom of witless delirium, they now think that they no longer have need for protection, and therefore, the symbols of these defenders, either. Thus, they feel free to show callous disrespect for our vital national symbols. Some believe that they can say anything and do anything. They conveniently forget that were it not for those whose graves we decorate, then they would have no such freedom to do either. Indeed, many within our society would actually ´like´ to see the male/female symbols removed from public restrooms. Yes´sir, and as this lunacy is an ever advancing psychosis... they´ll soon want the skull & crossbones removed from poisons, too. Some forms of nutty suicide manifests itself in this way – it surely does. So, the loss of honor for symbols is dangerous, and the protecting of them, for us two-leggeds, is the same as the buck protecting of his antlers or the drake duck primping of his feathers – it is needed respect and tribute.

My CG buddies, CWO Ed Kruska and Master Chief Mark Allen, and many others, decorate the resting places of Coast Guardsmen with little Coast Guard flags. Yep, and American Legion and VFW groups, do similar things all over the country. So this two-legged symbolism is essential so that WE ALL KNOW... the value of such a memorialized veteran. Now the United States has its nation flag –the Stars & Stripes – a symbol which represents us all – every American. And the protectors of that flag are the five branches of the U.S. military, which in turn, each have a flag for their specific branch of military service – Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corp and Navy. Each of these individual military branch flags, represent those that are members of it. Now, just so you know, whenever I´ve seen someone, anywhere, in this land... desecrating the U.S. flag or a military flag... my first instinct is to always... approach that individual, rip their head off and pull their spine out through the hole! But instinct can be controlled. Thus far I´ve remained civilized and haven´t removed any heads or backbones... yet. But, not long ago... I came close to falling off the ´civilized´ wagon.

Douglas Monroe was a Coast Guard Medal of Honor winner in WWII. He won America´s highest decoration by giving his life, while providing covering fire from his damaged landing craft in the Pacific. The gun he fired at Japanese soldiers, on the beach of Guadalcanal, saved hundreds of Marines´ lives that day, even while his own body was mortally riddled with enemy fire. This was on my mind the day my domestic boss and I drove past the Great Lakes Naval Memorial Museum in Muskegon, MI, late last winter. The new museum is home to a US Navy WWII submarine and a retired Coast Guard Cutter. Torpedoes and anchors decorate the outside entrance, and as is befitting... there are five flag poles in front, each flying one of the branch flags of the US military. I noticed that the US Marine Corp flag... was flying upside down. This is highly improper so I stopped and went inside to find out what was going on because well, I do this kind´a thing. While the place was open, it was empty of visitors. But there were six or seven employees, all sitting in folding chairs, watching a video, near the door, so I walked up to them. They were busy chatting, discussing, I assume, some facet of museum business. One man was older than me, and probably the boss. Not one of them asked me what I wanted as I stood for a long period in my Coast Guard jacket, festooned with patches and badges. Finally I jabbed a thumb over my shoulder and said loudly, "Excuse me, do you folks work here?" They all glanced at me for several seconds then nodded. So I asked, "Can any of ya´all tell me why the Marine Corp flag is flying upside down outside?"

They all looked at me like I... must not be of ´Utopia´. They weren´t very interested in my query and clearly, they were very unconcerned, in this place...a museum about veterans who have served and protected us. Nobody answered me so I stated the question again, a little more strongly. Finally, a young woman did respond and asked, "Umm... which flag?" Feeling the heat rising in my cheeks, I pointed outside the glassed doors and said, "That one – the red one on the end, with the gold globe and anchor in it. It´s upside down and that´s really wrong." The rest of them dismissed me, as a minor irritant, and went back to what they were doing – chatting again and pointing at their TV screen. She said, "Well...maybe the janitor did that – I´m not sure." So I said, "Well whoever did it, that´s improper." She nodded but that was all she did. The others continued to ignore me. So, I said, "Yeah, well, I´m gonna fix it –okay?" I didn´t have a smile as I started toward the door but she suddenly did, as she answered, "Sure, go ahead. Thanks."

So I went out, lowered and then re-raised the flag properly. None of them followed or even looked out the window. That service flag is a symbol of all Marines – representing those of that particular warrior sept who protect us all. Like the U.S. flag, and its four sister service flags, it absolutely deserves respect and honor – ALWAYS. Marines were fighting, and dying under that banner, even while these people sat indifferently and thus, irreverently, chit-chatting… in a museum that ´symbolized´ and ´memorialized´ them. They were as unconcerned as crickets in crevice about this dishonorable treatment of the Marine Corp´s symbol. Uh-huh, and my domestic boss patted my arm in calming motion when I climbed back into the car because I... was hotter than a nuclear terrorist´s toothbrush. Yeah, and I couldn´t help but wondering, either... if those museum people hadn´t all had ´Ambrosia´ for lunch.

So see? That´s why I say that Memorial Day is important. It´s a vital symbol, meaning much more than just a 3-day weekend. And like the flags, we´d better treat it as such, or our fancy-spansy Ambrosia will turn into Soviet style gruel before long. If we Americans want to keep surviving, then we´d better keep up with our symbolism. It´s as important for us two-leggeds as it is for the wild ones. Sure, and while going into the wrong bathroom may make your face red, that´s nothing compared to making a mistake on something as vital as say...respect and honor... for what a ´Day´ or flag symbolizes. Yep, even those dining on Ambrosia and residing in Utopia won't like attending the ´memorial´ service that this continued disrespecting of symbols could lead to.

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David Walks-As-Bear is an Inter-Tribal Elder and Kispoko Shawnee Indian. He works as a private game warden and detective and is a speaker, novelist and syndicated newspaper columnist living in Northwest Michigan. Contact him at The White Lake Beacon:231-894-5356 or visit his website at:www.Walks-As-Bear.com