As I grew from childhood into my adult years the two symbols that have stayed consistent for July 4th have been The United States flag and fireworks.
By Rebecca Nidey
Everything I Need To Know I Learned In A Haunted House
Having been privileged to grow up in the United States of America (and that is not said out of disrespect for any other country), July 4th has always meant a great deal to me. It is not a holiday meant only for picnics, baseball, swimming, fireworks or any of the myriad of other activities we enjoy during that day.
As we learned in American History, the red stripes of the flag represent the blood of the warriors who fought to create the independent nation of the United States. The fireworks that we all exclaim over are merely mild examples of the “rockets’ red glare, bombs bursting in air” that won the battles.
As we enjoy our holiday festivities, have we really given much thought to the warriors who made them possible? Not just those from the American Revolution, but through all conflicts in our history as a country.
I will not go into the politics of war. The truth is that I hate war but I always honor the warriors who fought them. The fact is that many soldiers I know personally have also expressed a hatred for war while stating that it was an honor to fulfill the duty they signed up for.
In their eyes, they were protecting the country and people that they love with the hope that they would not have to go to war… they were preventing war, if possible, so that it did not occur. Basically, warriors sign on the dotted line offering their knowledge, skills and possibly their lives in duty to their country.
While serving they must, at times, harden their hearts to fulfill their duties. At the same time, they must retain their human compassion for their fellow soldiers, civilians and those they love. It is a very fine balancing act for some.
Perhaps the evidence of PTSD, (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) points this out best. They may return from duty to distrust and hostility from those who do not understand the sense of responsibility they felt to fulfill their commitments to their country.
Unless we have walked in their combat boots we have no right to fault them, nor can we fully understand what they have been through.
To paraphrase what General Patton once said, the object of war is not to die for your country but to make someone else die for theirs. This is a hard responsibility and it is easy to understand why some warriors do not rest in peace.
As a paranormal researcher I have found this to be true. Although I have never visited a battlefield, I have heard other ghost hunters discuss the phantom spirits of soldiers who wander the sites of battles. Some may have died on the field of battle and could not leave. Some may still be fulfilling their duty. Perhaps some have returned there after their death because they felt they had left some of their humanity there while killing others.
I have always been drawn to the history of the American Civil War where brother literally took arms against brother. During those awful days, the blood of American families mingled. It must have been horrible to face across a battlefield those you have cared for knowing that your duty was to kill or be killed. Let us hope that most found they could rest in peace together since they could not live in peace.
Through the years there have been legends of special spots in the afterlife for warriors who died in battle.
The Aztecs believed in both a heaven, which had paradise for each direction, and an underworld. Interestingly enough, the house of the sun-the eastern paradise, was the final home for both Aztec warriors and the souls of enemy warriors.
The Norse people had Valhalla. It was a great hall for the heroic dead who had died in battle. In this hall, wounds healed quickly. Food was readily available for those who dwelled there, as well as fighting so that the honored warriors would stay ready for battle. Valhalla means “hall of the slain.”
Many cultures, including the American Indian, have heavens for warriors that are places of plentiful game, cool streams, and peace.
I have a good friend who is a former Cavalryman-a trooper. I was discussing my topic for Bellesprit and he told me of the special place that his branch of the service had. In his words, it wasn’t really heaven… more a form of purgatory where they wait till they are released to go on to their permanent place of rest. Because they had been trained to kill and had, on some occasions, put that training to good use, they felt the need to wait for their release to go on.
This place of bivouac is called “Fiddler’s Green.” I would like to include an excerpt from the poem titled after this place:
Halfway down the trail to Hell, in a shady meadow green
Are the Souls of all dead troopers camped, near a good old-time canteen.
And this eternal resting place is known as Fiddler’s Green.
Marching past, straight through to Hell the Infantry are seen.
Accompanied by the Engineers, Artillery and Marines,
For none but the shades of Cavalrymen dismount at Fiddler’s Green………..Unknown
Perhaps this poem shows that sometimes when warriors rest, they feel the need to do it with their own and in the way they feel most comfortable with.
As my friend pointed out, because of the deeds a soldier is called on to do in the line of duty, they may have trouble resting in peace. In EVP evidence we have heard that at times. The spirit of a soldier may linger because they feel that they have done unforgivable things.
Duty that creates death is a heavy burden. Many of the conflicts our armed service personnel have fought have been far from home. Up to World War I, most of those slain during these battles were buried in the country where they died.
Their spirits may have felt unrest because they were so far from home with no family to bury their bodies, mourn, or visit their graves. Another reason these warriors may not have found rest.
I would ask, if you know any soldiers, that you thank them for their service, not just during the July 4th holiday, but year round. Because of them we live in relative safety and freedom.
If you have had someone in your life that served in any branch of the armed services and has passed from body into spirit, honor them and thank them also. They will most probably hear your loving words.
In closing, I would like to include a stanza from a poem by Sir Walter Scott that seemed very appropriate:
SOLDIER, REST! THY WARFARE O’ER
Soldier, rest! Thy warfare o’re, sleep the sleep that knows not breaking.
Dream of battled fields no more, days of danger, nights of waking.
In our isle’s enchanted hall, hands unseen thy couch are strewing,
Fairy strains of music fall, every sense in slumber dewing.
Soldier, rest! Thy warfare o’re, dream of fighting fields no more
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking, morn of toil, nor night of waking.
About the Author:
Through her work on the investigative team for the Crawford County Illinois Ghost Hunters, Rebecca Nidey has an understanding of the paranormal, spiritual, and metaphysical worlds and how they work together.
Rebecca has trained in the Healing Touch technique (a form of energy healing). She is a certified Psychic Medium trained by Belle Salisbury, and she is a certified Paranormal Researcher.
Rebecca is the associate editor for Bellesprit Magazine and also writes a column titled Everything I Need To Know I Learned In A Haunted House. She has been a co-host of several radio programs for the Haunted Voices Radio Network and HeyZ Radio Network highlighting the Paranormal, metaphysical and literary fields.
To learn more about Rebecca or to schedule a reading you can contact her at https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.nidey.
