Every year at this time, Americans are called to pause to remember the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to this country in wars both at home and abroad. People tend to think of the Memorial Day weekend as the unofficial start of summer or the weekend of the Indianapolis 500, but we should never let these events and activities overshadow the the real meaning — and significance — of the holiday.
I realize that if you read this blog, every year, this Memorial Day entry sounds the same, but I think it’s important to stop and think about the importance of today, probably one of the most somber days on any of our calendars….
In the years following the Civil War, Americans across the country were still mourning the deaths of more than 600,000 men who died during four long years of war. All across the country, in both the North and the South, veterans would decorate their comrades’ graves with flowers.
On May 5, 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War, John Logan, a veteran of the war and head of the Union veterans organization — the Grand Army of the Republic — established Decoration Day to be recognized on May 30. On that date, people on both sides of the war would be encouraged to place flowers on the graves of their relatives, friends or comrades who fell during the war. He supposedly picked May 30 because the flowers would be in full bloom during that time. So on May 30, 1868, the first official National Decoration Day ceremony was held at Arlington National Cemetery, where the Grand Army of the Republic placed flowers on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers buried there. General Ulysses S. Grant presided over the ceremony.
World War I was responsible for establishing many American traditions like Veterans Day and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. But it also changed how Decoration Day became to be known as Memorial Day. Decoration Day only recognized fallen soldiers of the Civil War until World War I. After World War I, the tradition of Decoration Day evolved from remembering only the fallen of the Civil War to remembering all soldiers who died during the country’s wars at home and abroad.
Memorial Day has its own unique flag etiquette — at sunrise, anyone flying a flag should raise the flag briskly to full-staff then slowly lower the flag to half-staff. This is to honor the men and women who have fallen in the line of duty. At noon, the flag should be briskly raised to full-staff. This is to salute all of those who have served.
At 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day, Americans are asked to pause for one minute to pay tribute to America’s fallen soldiers. This practice was instituted by the passage of the National Moment of Remembrance Act in 2000. The National Moment of Remembrance program was established to remind Americans of the sacrifices made by members of the Armed Forces as well as others who have died as a result of service to the United States.
I think we can all spare a minute today….. have a nice Memorial Day.
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