Remembering Our Heroes
Universal Divinity Ministry (UDM) wants to wish everyone a happy Memorial Day, especially our Veterans, our fallen brothers and sisters, and our Active Duty troops. Today is a day to celebrate the brave soldiers who have defended America, our Constitution, and our allies abroad. It is a day to remember those who died in the Revolutionary War when the fate of our nation was yet undecided. It is a day to remember the bloody Civil War, the outcome of which shaped our nation. Remember Teddy Roosevelt and San Juan Hill. Remember Chesty Puller, George S. Patton, and Richard Marcinko. Remember everyone who ever wore the uniform and fought for their Country, and be proud of them.
Many months ago, we learned that the radical “woke” extremists on the left, under the leadership of the Biden/Harris administration, had ordered the removal of the Confederate Memorial in the Arlington National Cemetery. We were deeply saddened to see these already defeated soldiers being attacked once again. We were sad to see American history being openly attacked, vandalized, and hidden away from public sight.
We agreed that the Confederate Memorial, a work of art that was created by the Jewish sculptor, Moses Jacob Ezekiel, represented healing, not hate. Moses received the commission because he had been a Confederate soldier. We were, and are, repulsed by those who would disturb the rest of these soldiers for political gains, such as these leftists have done, and we decided that out of respect for all soldiers, we would visit Arlington National Cemetery and see the work of Moses Ezekiel in person. The Confederate Monument was breathtakingly beautiful and we were not disappointed.
One of the graves at the base of the Confederate Monument is that of Lieutenant Harry Marmaduke, Confederate Navy. I had brought my lid with me, the very first lid I was issued at Great Lakes Illinois in 1984. I had proudly kept it for 40 years, but I laid it on the grave of Lieutenant Marmaduke and left it there. It's my monument to Lt. Marmaduke, Ezekiel Moses, Captain John Hickey (2nd Missouri Infantry), and Brigadier General Marcus Wright, all of whom were laid to rest at the base of the monument. All of whose rest will be disturbed and disrespected for a political agenda that was flawed from its inception. All I could do was apologize to them and leave a simple Navy lid to try and show that though we once disagreed as a nation, we were ALL AMERICANS and we are all deserving of respect. That is precisely how we feel at UDM. We respect EVERY soldier that rests in Arlington National Cemetery, including those Confederate soldiers in Section 16 as well as the black soldiers interred in section 27. That’s something all soldiers understand.
But it wasn’t soldiers who made this decision. Not real soldiers.
We thought that today we would share some of the photos we were able to take on our visit to Arlington.
(Photo and video credits: Tara Severance, 2023, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA)