A reminder to Miltonites that Memorial Day’s primary purpose is:  “To pay tribute to individuals who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the United States” (excerpt from the National Moment of Remembrance Act passed in 2000).

Americans should not have to be reminded that Memorial Day’s intent is to honor American warriors who died on active duty in the service of our nation.  However, polls show that less than half of Americans understand Memorial Day’s purpose.  More than a third confuse Memorial Day with Veterans Day.  Many citizens also do not understand that Veterans Day’s primary purpose is to honor living (not dead) veterans.  And sadly, this ignorance is metastasizing across generations . . . barely a fourth of Gen Z know Memorial Day’s purpose.  This disturbing lack of understanding, appreciation, and gratitude for sacrifices in the cause of freedom fit into a broader pattern of disregard and often outright disrespect for bedrock American traditions . . . one element of which is gradual dilution of these traditions (often for political purposes), as I will explain later.  Sadly, despite a highly educated and patriotic populace, this ignorance is perhaps more profound in Milton (than most other places) as I will explain later in this post.

This trend of declining civic illiteracy has long been recognized as a problem, so much so that in 2000, Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act to create a clear and firm statutory framework for Memorial Day.  The first four paragraphs articulate lawmakers’ disquiet about the eroding awareness of, and appreciation for Memorial Day and their goal to “renew the legacy of Memorial Day.” 

(See Note 1 for the interesting story behind this statute)

Municipalities across America commemorate Memorial Day, including the City of Milton.  Unfortunately, just a few years after its founding, Milton took a wrong (and weird) turn with its commemoration of Memorial Day (and also Veterans Day).  I will provide only an outline of the story here and save the sordid details for another blog post.  (Hint:  Votes and vainglory trumped veterans.)  Here is the Reader’s Digest version . . .

Each stenciled with the name of a departed veteran, Milton’s memorial markers are indisputably the predominant symbol of Milton’s Memorial Day (and Veterans Day) commemorations.  These ubiquitous markers were first erected along Milton’s roads in 2009, just 3 years after the city’s founding.  Bill Lusk, then a member of council, began manufacturing these crosses and (with permission of the city) erecting the crosses along roads in Milton’s right-of-way.  (If the Josh Chang case just popped into your head, you are onto one of many issues involving these markers.  See Note 2.)  The City stored the crosses, promoted the charity, and shared citizens’ personal information from their applications for crosses (See Note 3).

Here’s the (big) problem:  the veterans’ names on the crosses are often not the names of warriors who made the ultimate sacrifice for America in battle.  Far from it.  Many are just dead veterans, nothing more.  Inexplicably, Mr. Lusk invited citizens to submit the names of ANY deceased family member—even distant relations—that had served in the military, regardless of whether they died on active duty or not.  This is a very low bar that has created myriad problems.  To my knowledge, it is generally not known which veterans made the ultimate sacrifice and which veterans died after their service (from natural causes, accidents, or whatever).  So those crosses you’re whizzing by in your car are often merely “participation trophies.”  Let’s not mince words.  You serve your country, you die, and you have a familial relation—however distant—to a resident of Milton . . . congratulations, you’ve earned yourself a cross in perpetuity on Birmingham Highway.  Never mind that John Q. Veteran, whose name is stenciled on a cross, might be the dead third cousin of a Milton resident that long ago moved away from Milton.  Never mind that John may have died of natural causes long after his service.  Yes, it’s weird, but more importantly it’s plain WRONG.  Weirdness aside, it’s this sort of perversion of Memorial Day that the National Moment of Remembrance Act was designed to correct.  And if you follow the facts and the logic, you come to the inescapable conclusion that Milton’s Memorial Day commemoration is disrespectful to the very veterans it is intended to honor:  fallen veterans.  The sacrifice of those who died in battle is diluted and diminished by the City of Milton.  It is a travesty that Milton must correct. In the words of the National Moment of Remembrance Act, it is time for Milton “to renew the legacy of Memorial Day.”

There are two obvious questions that should be answered. 

First, why did Mr. Lusk set the criteria so low for who qualified for a Memorial Day cross?  I don’t know.  Maybe citizens should ask Mr. Lusk.  Perhaps Mr. Lusk’s motives were political . . . or perhaps personal . . . or perhaps, like so many Americans, he was just ignorant about Memorial Day or just didn’t care.  (A corollary question is why were the crosses planted along roads rather than in a more respectful, contemplative, and solemn setting, like a field?)  I have my theories . . .

Second, why did the City of Milton sanction Mr. Lusk’s markers initiative in the first place, considering its misalignment with Memorial Day’s purpose?  And more importantly, why doesn’t the City Council and Mayor Jamison correct its mistake and reorient Memorial Day commemorations to align with federal statute and with Memorial Day’s intent?  Does their oath to uphold federal laws (like the National Moment of Remembrance Act) mean anything to City Council Members?  Why isn’t Mayor Peyton Jamison showing leadership on this issue?  Unfortunately, doing Memorial Day the wrong way has become a habit . . . and habits, especially bad ones, are difficult to break.  The Milton markers initiative has been effective in deprogramming and reprogramming citizens and even Council Members to believe Memorial Day is about honoring ALL dead veterans, no matter how or when they died (or how tenuous their connection to Milton).  Make the ultimate sacrifice for your country?  Who cares?  Go to the back of the line.  All that matters is that you died and a familial connection to Milton—however slight—exists.  Sadly, citizens shouldn’t count on Milton city government to do the right thing.  Milton politicians are no different than most other weak-willed politicians–whether county, state or national.  They will only do the right thing in response to a crisis or a citizen outcry.  Based on my long experience, Milton council members will only respond if citizens (figuratively speaking) take a baseball bat to their heads . . . and then the same council members will complain that protesting citizens are combative, negative, “abusing their right to free speech,” etc.

Long-time readers know that I am a veteran.  Four generations of my immediate family have served in the military, serving on the front lines in 3 wars.  Myself, I served 8 years as a US Navy nuclear submarine officer.  Yes, this issue is personal for me, as it should be for any proud American.  None of the current members of council are veterans; several are profoundly (and willfully) ignorant of the issues discussed herein.  Veterans commemorations are a litmus test for me.  I have patiently and quietly tried to correct this affront to fallen veterans (for nearly a year), but my patience and quietude are wearing thin.  This blog will no longer support (and will actively oppose) any council member that continues to allow the current sorry state of affairs to continue.  An educated and patriotic city like Milton deserves better . . . much better.

Advocating for the Renewal of the Legacy of Memorial Day in Milton,

Tim

Note 1:  The story behind the National Moment of Remembrance Act is an interesting one; its chief protagonist is Carmella LaSpada.  Ms. LaSpada had planned on an acting career.  However, her path veered because of a USO tour exposing her to Vietnam veterans dying from battle wounds in a hospital . . .  a life-altering experience for LaSpada. Honoring fallen warriors (and victims of terrorist attacks) became her life’s work.  In 1971, Ms. LaSpada founded No Greater Love (derived from John 15:13) to further the cause of remembrance.  The culmination of Ms. LaSpada’s efforts was the passage of the National Moment of Remembrance Act.  (Click on the following link to read more about Ms. LaSpada:  https://ifocuscreatives.com/portfolio-site/ngl/our-founder.shtml.)

Note 2:  Deployment of 900+ memorial markers in the right-of-way (often just inches from roads and sidewalks) presents a clear and present danger to public safety and massive liability for the city . . . issues the City is currently ducking.  The City got lucky with the Chang case but will not be so lucky the next time.  The City is courting danger.  I’ll write more about this in another blog post. 

Note 3:  A sitting council member starting a veterans’ charity and entangling it with the city was bound to cause problems . . . and it has.  Mr. Lusk’s Milton Veterans Memorial Markers organization, which is responsible for the memorial markers, has both a troubled past and present.  In 2017, for example, Mr. Lusk was issued a letter of reprimand from the City of Milton for misusing MVMM’s email list for political solicitations (and also for soliciting city employees).  In 2022, MVMM lost its tax-exempt status, but until recently continued to misrepresent itself as tax-exempt while continuing to solicit donations.  Neither the city nor citizens nor donors were notified.  The City has known about this issue for nearly a year but chosen to do . . . nothing.  There is much more that can be said about MVMM, but I’ll save the details for another post. Below is screenshot from the IRS website documenting revocation of MVMM’s tax-exempt status due to failure to file 990 tax returns for 3 consecutive years . . . this is a postcard for small charities that takes < 5 minutes to complete.