Some of you guys need to get real. At a funneral you can or should watch the casket lowered into the cement vault at the grave site. Not saying it was never done, actualy there has been at least a case or two of the casket being reused, but I think its pretty remote if you watch the casket buried in the vault. I have seen a lot of these comments elsewhere, you know, the chest beating and braze talk about how you dont care what happens to remains after ya croke etc, just as long as its done cheap as possible. Usualy that talk comes from young people. The older and more mature you get the less you hear it from your contemperarys. Respect usualy comes more with age. Think about this. We have the grave of the unknown solider, where the taxpayers pay for a group of soliders to guard the tomb around the clock in the elements even if a hurricane is going on! Why? Its called respect. And that is for someone nobody knows, much less a loved father or brother. Personaly, I dont care if they put me in a cardboard box, however I dont want to be creamated, and I do want a fair headstone describeing at least my name, age and christian belief.
Years ago I have seen a couple graves with the peoples photograph under thick glass or plastic. I think that is a nice touch. I just thought of a war story I want to tell. I had a uncle that was a batchlor all his life. He also was probley the highest decorated solider from our area. I have wrote of him before. 82nd AB, and assigned to the gliders. He and I were very close as I was all he had. We lived together various times, he stayed with me the winter before he died. (Really he committed suicide). He had medical problems and wasnt thinking right. Anyway my dad had told me this story, and finaly my uncle told me the same story shortly before he died.
My uncle and a close friend that was from the same village both went to training when the war broke out. The other guy actualy had already been in and out of the navy before the war and reuped. Uncle was drafted early. They both came home and partyied together before going OS. The other guy was already married. He left 1st and uncle had a little time left. Uncle got to playing with the guys wife. Uncle jilited a GF. She knew what happened and out of spite wrote the other guy, and same time wrote uncle what she done. Uncles outfit was pushed back into the ocean same time of that volcanno went off in italy. Guess who helped uncle over the net as he boarded the ship!
They had words etc. The other guy and wife also was a close friend to my folks. Sometimes their paths crossed at my folks house. I was young but still noticed some awkardness on my uncles part.
I went home when I got word of uncles death. The other guy came up to my mother and me and offered to do the military part of the funneral as he was a past vfw commander. Uncle had a very rough repitation in the area. He always fueded with many people. I didnt expect many at his funeral, but was amazed as it turned out to be one of the most attended that I ever been to. I got a real knott in my throat when the other guy lead the military part and then handed me the flag! That night he asked me did I ever hear about him and uncle meeting OS. I played dumb and said yeah, I thought I heard something about it. He proceeded to tell me the same story my dad and uncle told me, of course leaveing his wife out of it.
My reason for telling this again is to try to show or illistrate to some of you there is more to life and death and the respect of the body than just beating our chests and makeing light of it! The other man was probley the best example of a christian as I ever knew!