Have a Blast

A s it looks out over the city from the summit of East Rock, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument is good at getting us to look back. 

Dedicated in 1887 and rising over a hundred feet from its base, the monument memorializes local casualties of four wars, not just one, including two often obscured by other conflicts: the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War. Of the five symbolic bronze figures perching on its granite frame, the highest stands for peace, while odes to four “virtues”—history (pictured above), patriotism, prosperity and victory—sit closer to the ground.

This Memorial Day weekend, patriotism, prosperity and victory will be celebrated across the land. But history? Maybe not. History’s aim is truth, and we tend to think that’s no fun at a party. Then again, living in one of the oldest places in America, New Haveners know the past can be a blast.

Here’s to a happy and historical Memorial Day—

—Your friends at Daily Nutmeg—

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Dan has worked for a couple of major media companies, but he likes Daily Nutmeg best. As DN’s editor, he writes, photographs, edits and otherwise shepherds ideas into fully realized feature stories.

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