As for me, like the vast majority of Americans, I am reserving my honors and memories today for my ethical and heroic father, Jack Anderson Marshall, Sr. (1920-2009). He enlisted early in World War II; fought in Africa, Europe and the Battle of the Bulge, the latter after having his foot nearly blown off by a hand-grenade. He was awarded the Silver Star and a Bronze Star before he retired (against his will) with the rank of Major, and lived with the pain of his ruined foot from that point on. (I am looking at the special shoe the VA made for his grotesquely deformed left foot right now: I keep it by my desk). Dad refused to limp, no matter how much that foot hurt him. My mother told me he didn’t want to give the Germans the satisfaction.

Here’s Dad in 1945:

My father hated war but was good at it: his memoir is called “Reflections of a Timid Commando.” He was fair to all, fought his biases, admitted when he was wrong, never gloated when he was right (and he usually was) and regarded fighting for his country as, by far, the most important accomplishment of his life, with creating a safe, happy, stable home and family a close second. I visited him (and Mom) today at Arlington; there are so many heroes there whose stories I wish I knew. They are the ones we should honor today.

Not George Floyd.

Added: Minneapolis’s Ethics Villain Mayor Jacob Frey also decided to honor the dead fentanyl addict and punk on Memorial Day, in serial tweets saying,

“Today, we remember George Floyd, who was murdered by a former Minneapolis police officer six years ago. That moment changed our city forever. It forced Minneapolis to confront painful truths about race, policing, inequity, and trust — and demanded hard conversations and accountability. Since Floyd’s murder, our city has been challenged not just to say we’ve changed, but to prove it. We’ve worked hard to reform policing, strengthen our department, and rebuild trust with neighbors – while knowing there is still more work ahead. This anniversary also comes as reconstruction begins at George Floyd Square and work continues on the People’s Way. We are committed to honoring this place both as a memorial with global significance and as a neighborhood where people live, work, gather, and heal. The work ahead is bigger than any one moment or administration. The weight of what happened is still with our city six years later — and the responsibility to keep moving forward together is too. I know we can keep building a Minneapolis that is safer, more accountable, and more worthy of the people who call it home.”

Is there a less admirable figure in American history memorialized and lauded like George Floyd? I can’t think of one. The same people who blubber about this creep want to tear down Robert E. Lee statues, and Lee was a better, more praise-worthy human being on the worst day of his life than Floyd was at his best. And, of course, Frey repeated the lie that Floyd was a victim of racism, when there has never been any evidence or testimony that Officer Chauvin treated Floyd any differently than he would have treated a white perp in similar circumstances.

After Frey went on and on about Floyd, some enterprising journalists asked the Mayor’s office if he had any kind thoughts for the non-street thug Americans who have died defending the country. In an afterthought, Frey said, in essence, ‘yeah, whatever, them too,’ devoting a generous 35 words to honoring the estimated 1.3 million fallen American soldiers, not counting the Civil War. “Memorial Day is a time to remember the brave service members who gave their lives for our country and the freedoms we enjoy today. We owe them — and the families who carry their memory forward — our deepest gratitude,” he said.

He spent 182 words bemoaning the death of the waste of life known as George Floyd.

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Pointer: Willem Reese