Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Comment of the day: A father discusses the marker for his son in the backyard

During the summer, the Best Defense is in re-runs. Here are some favorites that ran in late 2012 and in 2013. This item originally ran on Feb. 8, 2013. 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 ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
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Wikipedia

During the summer, the Best Defense is in re-runs. Here are some favorites that ran in late 2012 and in 2013. This item originally ran on Feb. 8, 2013.

During the summer, the Best Defense is in re-runs. Here are some favorites that ran in late 2012 and in 2013. This item originally ran on Feb. 8, 2013.

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.

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

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