History of Memorial Day & thanks

[Dr. Jack]

To the vets and everyone else - We at Cappers Mall wish you a safe Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

General John A. Logan
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-B8172- 6403 DLC (b&w film neg.)]

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.

There are a few notable exceptions. Since the late 50's on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day. More recently, beginning in 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye's Heights (the Luminaria Program). And in 2004, Washington D.C. held its first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years.

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 they 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.

But what may be needed to return the solemn, and even sacred, spirit back to Memorial Day is for a return to its traditional day of observance. Many feel that when Congress made the day into a three-day weekend in with the National Holiday Act of 1971, it made it all the easier for people to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day. As the VFW stated in its 2002 Memorial Day address: "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."

On January 19, 1999 Senator Inouye introduced bill S 189 to the Senate which proposes to restore the traditional day of observance of Memorial Day back to May 30th instead of "the last Monday in May". On April 19, 1999 Representative Gibbons introduced the bill to the House (H.R. 1474). The bills were referred the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Government Reform.

[ZIGGYSTARDUST]

God Bless all those who have and will protect all of us.... They are the true HEROES in life...... Should be payed like HEROES also dam shame... EVERY tax payer who makes over 25,000 should have to kick in 300 every year with funds going 100% towards pay for the men... Dam shame many on food stamps while they risk their lifes....

[rda21]

Great post Dr Jack. Thanks to all Veterans past and present. I am one and support all our troops deployed around the World today.

[gandolph]

My sincere thanks to all who have served...Thank You.

[Victor]

God Bless and thank you to all of our military men and women past and present.

[cptkirk321]

Even though I am not American I do take a few minutes today to remember the people not only from the US, but other countries who have had soldiers lose their lives to allow us to enjoy the freedoms that we have.

I have lost three people who were part of the US forces in past and present encounters. An uncle lost in Vietnam, a cousin lost in Afghanistan and a very close friend who lost his life in Iraq a couple of years ago. I know that my cousin and close friend were very honored to be doing what they were doing, even though they knew going in what could happen to them.(I was too young to know my uncle but from everything I have been told he also was very proud of what he was doing)

These men and women of past and present knew everyday what their end fate could be and they performed with honor and heroism. These people are the true heroes that our children should admire and look up to not athletes, musicians, or actors/actresses. We seem to have lost our moral compass in the last couple of decades that people who make millions of dollars have become our heroes and forgetting if not for the people who lost their lives, or put their lives in dangers to offer us the freedoms that we have today that these people would never of been given a chance to do what they do.

I hope today while you are out with your families picnicing, taking in a ballgame, having a bbq at home with friends and families that you raise your glass and remember the people who have lost their lives so you can be doing what you are doing today.

God bless the men and women who have lost their lives to give us all the freedoms that we have today, and may god protect and bless the people who are in harms way today and not being able to enjoy this day off with their friends and families because they are still waking up knowing what todays fate can bring.

[cman]

My uncle who is still alive at 88 was shot down 6 times in WWII and never caught...he made it back without ever being captured. He then went on to build a park which he just recently gave to the state of Alabama.."Hurricane Creek Park" was its name...

he is an incredible person..many of you would love to talk to him

wde

[GrandGouda]

Great post Dr. Jack.

My grandfather, who passed away last year, was a WWII Pilot Trainer. My wife's grandfather was in the Army Corps of Engineers and on the 2nd wave that stormed the beaches of Normandy.

Still surviving vets in my family include my uncle, who served two terms in 'Nam as a Marine, and my father, who was a Naval Intelligence Officer during the Korean War and then the Vitenam War, stationed in Alaska and Japan.

Take a moment today to bow your head and pay respects to the fallen soldiers that have laid their lives on the line so that you could drink beer, cookout, and watch baseball today.

[dave nz]

I love the way most people in the U.S.A honour, remmember and respect days such as today.