Wreaths Across America
From: (name withheld)
Date: December 12, 2021 at 7:39:40 PM MST
To:[email protected]
Subject:Wreaths Across America
Hey asshole, go fuck yourself…we WILL CONTINUE to place wreaths on military
Gravestones, period…if you don’t like it look the other way you commie bastard.
(name withheld)
Response from MRFF Board Member John Compere
On Dec 12, 2021, at 8:23 PM, John Compere wrote:
Your foul-mouthed malevolence only reflects on yourself & reveals only your insolent ignorance.
It obviously has not occurred to you that some families of deceased military veterans do not want a religious group to which they do not belong or adhere profiting, promoting its religion version & marketing itself by presumptuously putting its religious wreaths on the graves of their deceased loved ones without permission. Those families consider it uninvited & unwanted intrusions on the personal burial sites of their deceased family members.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation represents, when requested, the religious freedom rights of those families to object & prevent what they believe to be thoughtless trespasses on their family graves. We do so because we respect their wishes & the religious group responsible for laying the religious wreaths does not. See militaryreligious freedom.org.
Brigadier General John Compere, US Army (Retired)Disabled American Veteran (Vietnam Era)Board Member, Military Religious Freedom Foundation (composed of 85% Christians)
On Monday, December 13, 2021, 02:39:57 AM CST, (name withheld) wrote:
Hey schmuck, the organization respects those families who voice their objections and refrain from placing wreaths for those gravesites…..the fact that you claim it’s unconditional is ignorant. the wreath does not represent any specific religion, it represents the respect persons wish to show to those who have sacrificed for our country. I contribute In the name of my father who served in WW2 and my Brother who served in Vietnam. And for your information, the family who started the program did so on their own with extra wreaths they had from the season. It grew From families who requested wreaths be placed in their name and paidFor the service…
Why would you turn something meant to be so respectful into a controversial issue?
(name withheld)
Response from MRFF Board Member John Compere
On Dec 13, 2021, at 7:02 AM, John Compere wrote:
It obviously also has not occurred to you that if the religious organization respected the wishes of those families who do not want them & refrained from placing their religious wreaths on those family graves, this problem would never have arisen & we would not have to address it.
Response from MRFF Advisory Board Member Mike Farrell
On Dec 13, 2021, at 1:59 AM, Mike wrote:
Why (name withheld), where did you learn to talk like that? Apparently someone forgot to teach you manners before they taught your religion classes. That’s odd. Some think there’s a connection.
By “… we WILL CONTINUE to place wreaths on military Gravestones (sic)” I take it you are part of the Christian group that is so thoughtless about spreading the word that they don’t take into consideration the fact that some veterans and their families may not welcome them. Should I also assume you and your band of zealots feel you’ve struck a blow for Jesus when you lay a Christmas wreath on the grave of an American veteran who also happens to be Jewish or a Muslim or Hindu or Native American or atheist?
Did it ever occur to you that Jesus doesn’t want people striking blows on his behalf? You might give that some thought. He was actually more known for his message of mercy and forgiveness and loving one’s neighbor.
But no, I gather that part of his teaching didn’t stick with you and whoever taught you how to express yourself.
I am curious, though. I recognize that the limitations of your vocabulary denote what is probably a general ignorance of the world, but it’s 2021. Even you should have a sense that “commie bastard” is ridiculously out of date.
Try the Sermon on the Mount. It’ll give you a clue about the other stuff.
Mike Farrell(MRFF Board of Advisors)
Recent Posts
- May 6, 2024 | 8 comments
- April 29, 2024 | No comments
I come from a military family; grateful daughter of a career USAF father. My family has fought in almost every conflict from the Revolutionary War forward. It is my understanding that the wreaths are meant to honor the service of the fallen, nothing else. Wreaths are placed on the graves of the honored dead with Stars of David tombstones as well as all the others. I do not believe that is a religious act but rather a small act of great respect for the tremendous sacrifice given by our troops and their families. I hope you might consider supporting this important act of patriotism from the American public. So few really understand the military family.
In reading some public information about your organization I find you have been rightly offended by anti-Semitism. May I suggest your platform take action against those in Congress who are blatant anti-Semites? This country is majority Christian but those who truly know its tenets know that Judaism is its critical bedrock foundation and support of Israel and Gods chosen people is completely Biblical. I am sorry that some have been hurtful. They were wrong.
This organization identifies itself as the representative of military members. You do Not. You represent yourself as protecting military members religious freedoms. You do NOT. You represent some microscopic group of complainers. The vast majority of veterans (I am one) greatly appreciate what Wreaths Across America is doing. Please stop claiming you represent me.
Your an idiot, it is a wreath, get over yourselves…
This MRFF group, which I had never heard of before, is obviously pleased with the level of infamy they’ve achieved. As a veteran, I cannot believe I’ve gone through life so ignorant about the existence of such an organization representing me. Hell, I’m not even religious and I think you’re a bunch of assholes. I honestly couldn’t care less about wreaths, but complaining because someone cares enough to remember a fallen soldier because you don’t like the way they’re doing that is not just stupid, it shows a complete lack of empathy. But hey, nobody ever heard of you before and now lots of people have, and that’s what this was about anyway. It’s apparent you’re atheists and that’s well and good but while religious freedom can be thought of as freedom from religion, it’s also about freedom to express religious views, so please rename your organization or maybe just STFU.
I’m a veteran, my brother’s a war veteran, my Mom’s brother is a war veteran, My Dad’s a retired Navy Captain and veteran of 2 wars. He has 3 brothers that served in the Navy during the Korean war, 2 that served in the Army for the Korean and Vietnam wars, and lastly a brother-in-law that served in the Army as part of the occupation after WWII. Aside from my own Father, none of those men are or were religious at all. Aside from my Father, not one attended or attends church, even during holidays like Christmas and Easter – none of them. Not a single one of them, including my Father, would be offended by someone remembering their service by placing a wreath on their grave. Every one of them would be ashamed that you claim to represent them. Do you know what a lack of empathy implies? You should look it up.
Mikey,
A wreath represents a religion only as long as you allow it do so. I find it astonishing that someone with your background and life experience has to work this hard to find something about which to take offense. At least try to find something valid to complain about and maybe, just maybe, people will take your seriously.
It’s despicable that fifty-percent of the donations to this charity go to your pocket, when we have veterans homeless in the streets, hurting, hungry and clearly being ignored by you. Your efforts benefit only you and betray you as false. Your organization will never receive a dime of my money. I will continue to donate regularly to Warrior Foundation Freedom Station, where veterans are truly revered and cared for.
May God have mercy on your soul.
Implying that you “represent” ANYONE other than your own group is, at the very least, misleading. Other than whining about non-issues, what, exactly, is it you supposedly do for veterans?
Grinch comes to mind about the wreaths! You people are a bunch of pathetic assholes!
Let’s put this issue in a slightly different context:
The leaving of Christmas wreaths on non-Christians’ graves is not altogether different from a man putting his hand up a woman’s skirt without bothering to consider or ask whether the woman wants that hand between her legs.
A great many men engage in precisely this kind of activity but, irrespective of their numbers, nothing can ever make it right or, in most places, legal.
To further complicate the issue, such men often are married to women other than those under whose skirts they’re groping, and are fathers of daughters; in each case they would object and even become violent were they to find that a third party was engaging in that same activity with their wives or daughters.
As such, there’s more than a faint whiff of hypocrisy in all this, akin to how the pro-wreathers would react were unasked-for Jewish symbols being left on the graves of their Christian war dead.