A few weeks ago a friend of mine sent me an email about his experience over the Memorial Day weekend. With his permission I’ve copied it here. This is from Arnold Cummings in Brookville, PA.

Over the Memorial Day weekend I went to my camp near Tidioute Pa. . As usual on Saturday I went yard sailing. The last sale I went to on that venture was up Church Hill Road. This road is located off Route 62 between the the Hickory Nut Bar and the small plaza next to it in the town of East Hickory in Forest Co. in North Western Pa.

As I went up the road to the sale there was an old small cemetery on the left side that sits on a knol at the edge of a large field. I noticed that there was a single small American flag at one of the stones. As I left the sale and came back down the road I was compelled to stop at the cemetery and “Thank the Veteran ” ( with the flag I assumed it was a Veteran and figured it maybe from the Civil War ).

I had stopped at this cemetery along time ago but did not remember much about it. As I looked at the few stones there were before the one with the flag many thoughts went through my mind about what it must have
been like in the early 1800’s. When I saw the grave with the Flag it only had the name and date of death. As I looked at the bronze marker I was taken back that this soldier was in the War of 1812 —– I thought my God this soldier fought 200 years ago for the freedoms that we have today —200 years later !!

We have had a lot of hype about the Civil War and its 150th celebrations but hardly anything about the War of 1812. I went to camp and was so wound up about this that I mistakenly told fellow campers about the Soldiers grave I was at from the “Revolutionary War ” I was really wrong it was 1812 !! Later I was compelled to go back and take a couple pictures which I have attached. I felt very dumb founded that I knew nothing about this war.

I have since done research and was amazed at what it was all about and how it has really affected our lives today. Just to mention a few things, the Battle of New Orleans, the burning of Washington DC (The
US Capital in particular ), setting some of our northern borders with Canada and something we hear all the time “The Star Spangled Banner ” .

Take a little time and see how important this war was in our History and Freedom. I have made a promise to myself that I will be back to the grave and put a flower on it to show my thanks —every Memorial Day that I have my health and can go there.

Arny