Forest Hill Cemetery
Madison, WI
5/26/2025
The temperature is in the mid-60s. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and fluffy white clouds dot the sky. Sounds like a perfect Midwestern morning, right?
For many, this is especially true, particularly since it is Memorial Day—the final day of a long weekend filled with festivities, cookouts, and quality time with family and friends. It might even include a visit to the grandkids at the cabin by the lake. For others, it’s a time to honor the loved ones who died in war, remembering those who gave their lives or made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, or perhaps for their God and country, in that order.
The latter are being honored at Forest Hill Cemetery on this fine morning. It’s the “Of Honor and Valor Eternal” service, an event full of pomp and circumstance, complete with the VFW 1318 Band playing patriotic tunes for a crowd of about 200.
It’s hard for me not to be cynical about everything I witness when I attend this event, which is now my third or fourth time. I see so much energy poured into justifying war and death, or sacrifice—the proper term used here to rationalize the human and financial costs of war.
Now, I often assume that people at events like this are predominantly Republican, i.e., supporters of Trump. However, I also recognize that many liberals hold patriotic views, and although they may not lean right in their politics, they still cling to the belief that might makes right and that war is necessary. So, I will hold off on that assumption for now, considering the state of our country, which is a result of Trump and his ilk, and hope that those who support him will see (or have already seen) the error of their support.
The ceremony was long—ungodly long. The band played no fewer than six tunes. There was an invocation and a benediction, along with two readings from Lincoln: The Gettysburg Address and Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural. Additionally, a pledge of allegiance, two rifle salutes, taps, and it concluded with the retiring of the colors. In between all this were various speeches.
I was excited to see that the Leonard Cohen song, “Hallelujah,” was going to be sung. I wasn’t aware that this was a patriotic song, but I thought it was a nice addition. A young woman started to sing beautifully, and after a few lines, I was scratching my head—the music was the same, but the lyrics were different. A Google search revealed a rewritten version of the song by a Navy veteran, Sailor Jerri, who transformed Cohen’s version into a soldier’s lament.
There was also a reading of names—the Veterans Honor Roll—of those who had died this past year. I admit now, writing about this several days later, that they may not have read all the names listed in the pamphlet, but some names were read at some point.
Lastly, there was a small ceremony at the Confederate rest. This is the place where those from Wisconsin who served in the Confederate army are buried—those who fought against the government, the Constitution, and the freedom of the slaves, and fought for, essentially, capitalism, for rich white plantation owners, and other Southern “interests.” The woman speaking was giving a rebuttal to a question asked of her last year, which was, “Why do these soldiers deserve to be honored, considering what they fought for and against?” She answered that they were someone’s son, brother, father, or loved one, that they were human, and that they sacrificed their lives for a cause they believed in.
With that remark, I departed to prepare for the next event at the Madison Masonic Center, hosted by Veterans for Peace.
