While I was packing
for our Memorial Day weekend trip, I started to think,
"What is Memorial Day,
anyway?"
The start of summer,
an extra day off from work or school or a weekend to celebrate with bar-b-q's and
picnics?
Sure, it has become
all of those things, but is ultimately so much more. Memorial Day,
originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance
for those who have died in our nation's service.
General John Logan,
national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No.
11, officially proclaimed Memorial Day on May 5, 1868, and was first observed on
May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union
and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
The "Memorial" in Memorial Day is sometimes
overlooked by us, the beneficiaries, of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Often we do
not observe the day, as it should be, a day where we actively REMEMBER our ancestors,
our family members, our loved ones, our neighbors, and our
friends who have given the ultimate sacrifice.
Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the
meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are
increasingly ignored or neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While
there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in
decades.
Here is a list of
things you can do to help remember and memorialize those who have died in service to us:
-
visit a
cemetery and place flags or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes.
-
visit
memorials.
-
fly the U.S.
Flag at half-staff until noon.
-
participate in
a "National Moment of Remembrance": at 3 p.m. to pause and think upon the true
meaning of the day, and for Taps to be played.
-
renew a pledge
to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of our fallen dead, and to aid the disabled
veterans.
To help re-educate
and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of
Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000, which asks that at:
3 p.m.
local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily
and informally
observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever t
hey are doing for a
moment of silence or listening to
'Taps."
"The Moment of
Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day. What is needed
is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for
the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to
their country. "
(Source: www.usmemorialday.org )
We cherish too,
the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That
blood of heroes never dies.
-Moina Michael
1915
