Comment of the day: A father discusses the marker for his son in the backyard
From “Gold Star Father“: The government marker (VA supplied) is (illegally) in my backyard bolted to a flat stone that I found and it lies under a Weeping Willow that friends of my wife gave to her. I make it a point to look at it nearly daily, christen it with splatterings of whatever cocktail ...
From "Gold Star Father":
The government marker (VA supplied) is (illegally) in my backyard bolted to a flat stone that I found and it lies under a Weeping Willow that friends of my wife gave to her. I make it a point to look at it nearly daily, christen it with splatterings of whatever cocktail I may have in hand, and have a conversation with my son. The marker is mine, its for me. My son's ashes were returned to the sea. The marker is my place to go. It's illegal that I have it, but I know/knew ways to make it happen to be in my possession. I defy the VA cemetery police to come and get it. There will be blood if they show up in my driveway.
From “Gold Star Father“:
The government marker (VA supplied) is (illegally) in my backyard bolted to a flat stone that I found and it lies under a Weeping Willow that friends of my wife gave to her. I make it a point to look at it nearly daily, christen it with splatterings of whatever cocktail I may have in hand, and have a conversation with my son. The marker is mine, its for me. My son’s ashes were returned to the sea. The marker is my place to go. It’s illegal that I have it, but I know/knew ways to make it happen to be in my possession. I defy the VA cemetery police to come and get it. There will be blood if they show up in my driveway.
More from Foreign Policy


Is Cold War Inevitable?
A new biography of George Kennan, the father of containment, raises questions about whether the old Cold War—and the emerging one with China—could have been avoided.


So You Want to Buy an Ambassadorship
The United States is the only Western government that routinely rewards mega-donors with top diplomatic posts.


Can China Pull Off Its Charm Offensive?
Why Beijing’s foreign-policy reset will—or won’t—work out.


Turkey’s Problem Isn’t Sweden. It’s the United States.
Erdogan has focused on Stockholm’s stance toward Kurdish exile groups, but Ankara’s real demand is the end of U.S. support for Kurds in Syria.