Memorial Day from The Outdoor Wire
At midnight tonight, we begin Memorial Day.
Despite what you may have thought, it is not the
three-day weekend that officially opens the summer vacation season.
It is
far more than that, despite the fact we've trivialized its somber
origins.
Those origins, incidentally, are debated, with more
than
two-dozen cities and towns across the country claiming to be its
birthplace. No matter where it began, since its beginning as
Decoration
Day, it should be remembered as a solemn day - the day remembrance
for
those who have died in our nation's service. It should also be a day
where there's no carping back and forth between factions who agree or
disagree on today's military realities- it should be a day to
remember the
hundreds of thousands of American men and women who gave "that
last
great measure of sacrifice" so we can have our disagreements
without
fear of repression.
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. Since then, it has gone
through
many changes, but it is the day all of us should pause and give
silent
thanks for those dead. We should also be passing the meaning and
traditions of Memorial Day on to our children because Memorial Day,
like
many other solemn commemoratives, has fallen from the consciousness
of our
country.
At many cemeteries, graves of the fallen are
increasingly
ignored, neglected, and most people have no idea about proper flag
etiquette for the day. Many people just think it's a day for
remembering
those who have died, not a day to honor those who have fallen in
service
to our country.
Fortunately, it's not that way everywhere.
Yesterday, soldiers of the 3rd U.S. infantry continued a
tradition begun in the late 1950s, placing small American flags at
each of
the more than 260,000 headstones at Arlington National Cemetery. The
3rd
will remain on patrol 24/7 throughout the weekend to make certain
each
flag remains standing.
Tomorrow evening at Virginia's
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye's
Heights,
Boy and Girl Scouts will continue their Luminaria program to honor
the
fallen on the piece of ground called "America's bloodiest
landscape." More than 100,000 men were killed or wounded there
during
the Civil War.
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The Scouts will light 15,3000 candles to honor those who have fallen and from 8p.m. until the candles burn out, visitors will be able to tour the site. Taps will be played on the half hour in what is one of the most moving - and fitting- tributes to our military dead.
Not being in those areas or near a Memorial Day commemorative service on Saturday doesn't mean you have no opportunity to remember the somber meaning of this "first weekend of summer." At three p.m. on Monday, May 28, the nation is requested to stop for a single moment of remembrance for those Lincoln called "our honored dead."
These days it seems Memorial Days come increasingly more rapidly. Likewise, I am increasingly more aware of the fact that fewer of my compatriots are around to remember our departed friends. In recognition of that, Memorial Day seems to have taken on an added significance.
We will not be publishing editions on Monday, May 28 in commemoration of the holiday. At 3 p.m. local time, however, we will pause for our moment of quiet remembrance.
We would like it if you'd join us wherever you are as well.
Posted by: Doug Leier on 5/28/2007 at 18:49 | Comments (0) | Permalink
