Thank God for all those who served in the military, and especially all those who have fallen. Are thoughts and prayers are with you and your families. Thank you and God bless.
I was told the other day from a pastor friend of mine that the many of the youths she had spoken with did not know what Memorial Day was meant to memorialize. They knew they had the day off, that there would be no mail, there was a race somewhere, and/or that the banks would be closed. PERIOD.
To me this was appalling and sad. We who enjoy the fruit of others sacrifice, must remember the cost of that gift.
The Civil War (1861-1865) is the starting point for the history of Memorial Day. Nearly 630,000 men were recorded dead, that number may reach as high as 700,000 depending on your source. This loss of life is greater than the totals of all conflicts since, even if you include the American Revolution. This was our country;s greatest loss of soldiers.
The original movement was local and initiated by women to honor their lost husbands, lovers, sons, and brothers. In the South, it was called decoration day; the graves of the Civil War fallen were decorated to show honor and respect. The graves in the North were decorated by their women, in similar fashion. The two groups did not celebrate on the same day, nor recognize the other.
In 1868 on May 5th, the Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, a group of the wars veterans, issued General Order 11. It decreed that on May 30th all graves of Union and Confederate soldiers in Arlington Cemetery were to be decorated with flowers in remembrance of their valor and commitment to the defense of their country. The date was chosen as it is NOT the date of a battle. This was the first organized step towards healing a wounded and reeling nation. It was not until five years later that the first state made it an official holiday; New York took that step in 1873. By 1890 the Northern States had begun following the practice, but the South continued to decline participation. For the South, their dead were to be recognized on a completely different day. Even to date many Southern states have a special day of memorialize their Civil War dead. It was not until after WW1 (1918), when the dead of all American wars were to be honored by this holiday. The War to End all Wars lead to the participation of all States in this holiday.
In 1882 the name Memorial Day was first used in replacement of Decoration Day. After 1945 it was the more common name. In 1967, nearly a century later, Memorial Day became a Federal holiday. Then in June of 1968 it and many other holidays were moved to a Monday from their original day, for sake of convenience as a three day weekend.
Thanks Federal government for making a humble day of remembrance more convenient to forget!
