Memorial Day: Do you have a clue?
Monday, May 30, is Memorial Day. I want you all to ask yourselves a question -- What is the meaning of Memorial Day and what or whom do we memorialize? If you think you know and think that this is a silly question, read on to see if you're right. Last week, I asked several people this question and was appalled by their clueless responses. I know YOU know, but just to be certain:
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.
Memorial Day is a day of National Mourning. All United States Flags should be displayed at half-staff during the morning hours. At noon, they should be raised back to full-staff. It's a sacred day to all veterans; None need be reminded of the reason why Memorial Day must be commemorated. But what about the general public, and more importantly, future generations? Do most non-veterans or your children really recognize the importance of Memorial Day?
VFW has it right
As outlined best by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, sacrifice is meaningless without remembrance. America's collective consciousness demands that all citizens be aware of and recall on special occasions the deaths of their fellow countrymen during wartime. Far too often, the nation as a whole takes for granted the freedoms all Americans enjoy. Those freedoms were paid for with the lives of others few of us actually knew.
That's why they are all collectively remembered on one special day, Memorial Day. This should be regarded as a civic obligation, for this is a national debt that can only be truly repaid by individual Americans. By honoring the nation's war dead, we preserve their memory and thus their service and sacrifice on behalf of us all.
Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868, by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11. It was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873.
By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I, when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war. It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May - this was decreed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays.
Playing rather than remembering
To me, the action of Congress is a disgrace to the memory of our absent brothers and sisters who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. Declaring Memorial Day to be another three-day weekend ensured that the majority of our citizens would lose sight of the significance and true purpose for this special day.
We have morphed Memorial Day from one of somber remembrance to a long weekend of partying and playing. You think not? Ask any ten adults you know to describe the true meaning of Memorial Day, or if you really want to be depressed, ask any ten children, including your own.
So while you're drinking your beer, exchanging pleasantries with guests, and eating your barbecue, or fishing, boating, or traveling on your long weekend, please remember what you read here today, and please take the time to educate your children about the significance of this Monday.
Remember to proudly fly your United States Flag, but fly it at half-staff until noon, then raise it to its full glory. At exactly 1500 hours Monday, follow the honored tradition and stop what you and your friends are doing. Take a moment to bow your heads and remember all of your friends, family, and all of the strangers you will never know who gave their lives for us, our ideals, and our way of life.
Surely you can spare one minute of your time...after all, you have a long weekend.