Well, Monday is Memorial Day in the US. A day we have set aside as a day to remember, and celebrate, our war dead and to honor those men and women who fought in all the wars of the United States.Here, in the American South, we celebrate the Confederate Dead as well as the US Dead. After all, Memorial Day began as a Southern Holiday to honor the Confederate dead by cleaning their gravesites and cemeteries. (By Act of Congress, in the late 1950's, Congress declared that Confederate Veterans are also US Veterans and are to be treated as such!)
Last Memorial Day weekend, I had the great good fortune to speak to a church congregation, as their featured Memorial Day speaker. The passion for their lost soldiers lies just beneath the surface. As the names poured out, from the members of the audience, to be remembered, it was astounding to feel the longing, the love, the loss, felt by those folks as they called aloud the names of their dead soldiers, all the way back from the Revolutionary War which the US fought with Great Britain to win our freedom.
We don’t celebrate war in the US, but we do celebrate our war dead. Christ said: “Greater love hath no man than this; that a man lay down his life for a friend.” The war dead of this country did that. It would be impossible to honor their sacrifice too much.
I’ll remember, this weekend, my uncle who died in his ancestral homeland of Belgium, during the Second World War, fighting to free them from the grip of Hitler’s troops. He is buried in Europe… somewhere. I think of all the cousins who fought in all the wars since the War Between the States forward. And, I think of my Great Grandfather, who fought in the 17th Regiment of South Carolina Infantry, Company “I”, along with a slew of great uncles, cousins and such. Some of them never made it back home to their loved ones. They were killed at Petersburg, or died of wounds received at Second Manassas, and other lesser known battles.
That’s what Mem
orial Day is about. Remembering them, and remembering that freedom is not free. We pay for it. We pay for it in blood. But, it is so precious millions of Americans have willingly lain down their lives to secure it for the generations yet unborn.So, this weekend, remember. Take a few minutes to remember them. Call out their names aloud; speak their names into the blessed free air around you, for they paid for it.
Remember.
“Longstreet”
Mr. Longstreet correct me if I am wrong but what I heard about Memorial day was this. It was started to honor the soldiers of the Civil War (Northern Term) or Thw War for Southern Independence (Southern term and more correct), in 1950's it was made to include Veterans of all wars and in the 70's was moved from it's original May 30th to the last Monday in May to help retailers and such (long weekends I guess inspire shopping?) I mean no disrespect, Sir, but thatis the reason that was given on the show I was watching.
ReplyDeleteEssentially you are correct.
ReplyDeleteMemorial Day has TWO events which mark it's beginning. Similar events took place in the South and in the North. Depending upon which part of the country one hails from, one is most likely to choose the commencement event in that region. You can see both events, and the way they developed, by googling Memorial Day. I made mention of the Southern event in my speech, on May 13th, at a Confederate Memorial Day event. When we discover unmarked graves of Confederates and/or Federal Veterans, we order those stones, and set them, and have a dedication service in the graveyard complete with a 21 gun salute and Taps. I have even spoken as a part of the dedication of a Revolutioinary War Hero in an adjacent coity , I believe , last year. I speak at so many of these things that after a while, they begin to run together.
In 1958, the Congress passed legislation to make Memorial Day cover both the Confederate and Federal Veterans as "American Veterans". Even today, the VA supplies headstones for burial places for Confederate soldiers and Federal soldiers, alike, at no cost to the Veterans families.
It was called "Decoration Day" before it became officially Memorial Day. I still tend to celebrate Memorial Day on the 30th of May. The TRUE reason for moving it to the last Monday in May was to provide a three day weekend for federal employees.(No kidding!) The same for all those Founding Father birthdays which are celebrated on a Monday rather than the actual birthday of the men.
I think we have corrupted the "Memorial" part of the day and frankly, I'd like to see it moved to another day in May and put some distance between what we have come to know as "The start of summer". the day should be celebrated as a solemn day, complete with ceremonies in graveyards and all traffic is supposed to stop at 3 PM for one minute of prayer, or silent reflection. At sunrise the flag is to go up to half mast and remain thewre until noon atwhich time it is to be run down, or lower, then quickly run all the way to the top of the Mast/flagpole. Hardly anyone does all this... and it should be done.
This is all just the opinion of one old Southern white guy, of northern European and Native American ancestery, however.
Thanks for asking!
I always knew what it was for, but I never knew the half mast and stopping of traffic tradition.....
ReplyDeleteFederal Employees need to observe that day, above all others. If it weren't for those brave people, in those graves they may not even have jobs, or even be alive!
So VERY true!
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