Memorial Day 2007

I had second thoughts about starting this post out with a cartoon, but it describes the state we are in when it comes to this holiday.  A day that was proclaimed a day to remember.  Remembering those who have fallen and those who are still serving: (click pictures to view videos)

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 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 (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 – 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis’ birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

In 1915, inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields," Moina Michael replied with her own poem:

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.

She then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need.

Later a Madam Guerin from France was visiting the United States and learned of this new custom started by Ms.Michael and when she returned to France, made artificial red poppies to raise money for war orphaned children and widowed women. This tradition spread to other countries. In 1921, the Franco-American Children’s League sold poppies nationally to benefit war orphans of France and Belgium. The League disbanded a year later and Madam Guerin approached the VFW for help. Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW became the first veterans’ organization to nationally sell poppies. Two years later their "Buddy" Poppy program was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans. In 1948 the US Post Office honored Ms Michael for her role in founding the National Poppy movement by issuing a red 3 cent postage stamp with her likeness on it.

Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, 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. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.

Most people blame the fact that Congress decided in 1971 to change the day to the last Monday of the month so we all could get a 3 day weekend. There has been a bill in Congress since 1999 that would restore it back to May 30th. Of course no action has been taken on it for 7 years with petitions still ongoing to change that.

Until then it’s up to each and every one of us to remind people what this day stands for.

For those who served our country and gave all.

Korea:

In Afghanistan

In battlefields from Normandy, Antietam, Gettysburg, Trenton, Iwo Jima, Midway, Khe Sahn, Fallujah, Baghdad and thousands of other battlefields over the past 200 plus years.

Remember those who gave all.  And remember those who are still serving with honor

This Memorial Day please take two minutes out of your day at 3pm local time for a National Moment of Remembrance.

Reflect on those who have died to protect our way of life and those who are still serving

Finally, a short video on the true meaning of Memorial Day:

Curt

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