Memorial Day 2017 musings

Memorial Day is misunderstood.  For many, it’s just the unofficial beginning of summer; it’s a chance to have cookouts and barbecues; it’s a chance to take the day off from work and to go and find a good bargain at a retail store.  All of this stuff is fine and good, but don’t let the real meaning of the day get lost.  My dad - Mr. Organization we sometimes called him - left behind a lot of good information regarding the origins of Memorial Day.  He has a document titled “The History of Memorial Day”.  I’m not going to cite the whole thing, but here are the high points:

“It began in 1865, when Henry C. Welles…in Waterloo, suggested that honor should be given to the patriotic dead of the Civil War by decorating their graves.  By 1866, the town of Waterloo had embraced the idea, demonstrating their dedication by making wreaths, crosses and bouquets for each veteran’s grave.  Processions led by veterans marched to each of three local cemeteries, where formal services were held.

1868 brought the first official proclamation designating May 30 as a day of remembrance for the nation’s war dead.  General John A. Logan, first commander of the Grand Army of the Republic issued the order.  During that first celebration of Decoration Day, as it was then known, Civil War veteran General James Garfield, who later became the 22nd president of the United States, spoke at a ceremony held at Arlington National Cemetery.  Following his speech, 5000 volunteers decorated the graves of more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.

Memorial Day observances became widespread by the late 1800’s, and after World War I, the ceremonies began to include honors for those who had died in all of America’s wars.  In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday, to be observed the last Monday in May.”

I can’t leave this paragraph out; at one point, the document states, “Our nation reflects on the extraordinary sacrifice of heroes.  Heroes who have fought and died in defense of liberty – and heroes who safeguard that liberty today.  In those reflections of heroic sacrifice, the magnitude of Memorial Day becomes palpable [and] powerful.”  I say amen to that!  Such selfless heroism inspires me; it reminds me that there are not only things worth living for but there are certainly also things worth dying for.

Kevin