Hello Friends,
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that these pages will help you to Pause and to Remember all of those Brave young men & women who over the years have been willing to pay the Ultimate Price, to lay down their lives, so that you and I, and most of all, our Children & our Grandchildren are able to live free of fear and free of oppression.
Origin And Birthplace Of Memorial Day
On May 5, 1868, the Grand Army of the Republic established Memorial Day, or Decoration Day, as the national day to decorate the graves of the Civil War soldiers with flowers. Major General John A. Logan appointed May 30 as the day to be observed. Arlington National Cemetery had the first observance of the day on a grand scale. The place was appropriate as it already housed graves of over 20,000 Union dead and several hundred Confederate dead. Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant presided the meeting and the center point of these Memorial Day ceremonies was the mourning-draped veranda of the Arlington mansion. Speeches were followed by a march of soldiers' children and orphans and members of the GAR through the cemetery strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves. They also recited prayers and sang hymns for the dead.
Even before this declaration, local observances for these war dead were being held at various places. In Columbus, Miss., a group of women visited a cemetery on April 25 1866, to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers and the Union soldiers who fell at the battle of Siloh. Many cities in the North and the South claim to be the first to celebrate Memorial Day in 1866, but Congress and President Lyndon Johnson officially declared Waterloo in New York as the 'birthplace' of Memorial Day in 1966. It was said that on May 5, 1866, a ceremony was held here to honor local soldiers and sailors who fought in the Civil War, businesses were closed for the day and residents furled flags at half-mast. It was said to be the first formal, community-wide and regular event.
(Please Click Above For A Musical Tribute)
In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by the Congress, who designated the last Monday in May as the day for its observance. Many states observe separate Confederate Memorial Days. Mississippi observes it on the last Monday of April, Alabama on the fourth Monday of April, Georgia on April 26, North and South Carolina on May 10 and Louisiana and Tennessee on June 3. In Tennessee, the day is named as 'Confederate Decorations Day' while Texas observes 'Confederate Heroes Day' on January 19. In Virginia, Memorial Day is better known as 'May Confederate Memorial Day.'
Memorial Day is a good time to reflect on the sacrifices and services of the American soldiers and veterans and the U.S. military men and women. The American military is, has always been and will always recruit the best and finest of the crop of young men and women of the country and we will continue to shower them with appreciation, support and prayers, as we have always done. Memorial Day is just an opportunity for us to express the special places they have in the hearts of American citizens and more by honoring the people who work in the various branches of the military.
Moment Of Remembrance
In 1996, a humanitarian organization based in Washington, D.C., known as 'No Greater Love' conducted a survey on children and asked them why do they think there is a holiday on Memorial Day. It was agonizing to hear their remarks that were all associated with barbecues and extended weekend parties and celebration, while they hadn't the vaguest idea about the sacrifices of the soldiers in whose honor it is celebrated. One of the children was even quoted as saying that this was the day when swimming pools open!
Thus, the organization came up with the idea of 'National Moment of Remembrance' to remind and especially, to let the future generations know about the real meaning of the holiday. The idea clicked with the President and Congress and since 1997, it became a standard American tradition. A National Moment of Remembrance requires everybody to keep silent for a minute, exactly at 3.00 pm (local time) when 'Taps' is played and reflect on the glory of those who have shed blood for us. The federal government hopes to raise public awareness about the heroes and their valor by introducing this moment.
September 11 Incident
The horrific tragedy of September 11, 2001, stirred all and reawakened the spirit of patriotism in all hearts and increased the unity and oneness that binds all Americans in a special bond. The words 'United We Stand' and 'God Bless America' still hold the power to stir out hearts on this very special day. Let the feelings of true patriotism and love for all those who have risked their lives for the sake of America show by putting up American flags in front of your houses, have parties with patriotic themes to honor military and ex-military men and women in your neighborhood and community. It is a good idea to coax them into telling more about their experiences with the military and on the warfront and you may get an opportunity to hear some exceptional real tales that you may have not even imagined about.
A number of memorials were raised in the honor of the victims and heroes of the fateful September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, throughout America, besides the famous sites such as the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The first memorial was erected in Tucson, Arizona dedicated to Captain Jack D. Punches, a passenger in the plane that hit the Pentagon. A sculpture at Los Angeles airport Theme Building, California, is dedicated to them and depicts a compass with words and phrases reflecting national rights, visions and ideals. Another memorial dedicated to the 343 New York City firefighters who sacrificed their lives while helping the victims is situated at the Fire Department Training Center in Los Angeles. It is a 23-ft steel column that was part of the lobby of the World Trade Center.
Other memorials in California include the one at Pepperdine University, Malibu dedicated to Flight 93 passenger, Thomas E. Burnett Jr, and at a school in San Jose dedicated to Captain Jason Dahl, one of the pilots on United Flight 93 who grew up in the city. In the honor of baseball fan Matthew Flocco, age 21, the baseball field in Newark, Delaware was named after him. The life-size statue of CeeCee Lyles, a flight attendant on board United Airlines flight 93, grace Fort Pierce, Florida. Burlington, Massachusetts has a brick memorial dedicated to the three victims from Boston suburbs who were aboard the American Airlines Flight 11 that struck the World Trade Center. There is a thirty-three acre farmland memorial too honoring John Ogonowski, captain of American Airlines Flight 11.
New Jersey has a local post office in Cranbury named after the former resident Todd Beamer, the Flight 93 passenger, a bench and flagpole in the Atlantic city dedicated to Victor Saracini, pilot of United Airlines Flight 175 and a waterfront memorial in Hoboken, N.J., home to more than 50 people killed at the World Trade Center across the Hudson River. Many such memorials have been erected and are planned to be erected in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, DC and Minnesota. Native Americans of the Lummi Nation gifted 13-ft high totem 'healing poles' to Shanksville and New York city as a mark of their grief over the unfortunate incident. Other memorials erected for the victims outside America are situated in Ethiopia and London, England.
Ways To Observe Memorial Day
Memorial Day reminds us of our duties towards the wounded soldiers and the bereaved families, orphans and widows of the dead soldiers. We should honor the dead by adorning their sacred remains with flowers and garlands and show our gratitude towards them in the following ways:
- Adorning the graves of the soldiers with flags or flowers.
- Visiting cemeteries and memorials.
- Furling the American Flag at half-mast until noon.
- Furling the 'POW/MIA Flag'.
- Keep silence for a minute at 3 p.m., 'National Moment of Remembrance' and listen to Taps being played.
- Take a pledge to aid the disabled veterans, widows, widowers and orphans of the dead and keep it.
- You may support the efforts to restore the traditional day of observance of Memorial Day back to May 30th.
- Offering thanks to the veterans and appreciating the ultimate sacrifices of the soldiers to the bereaved families personally may help too.
- If you're close enough to do so, visit the VA Hospital in your area and spend some time with the Veterans who are staying there. Many of these folks are far from home and don't get regular visits from Friends & Family. Their smiles and their gratitude for you caring enough to share some time with them may just make your whole day. I know it does mine, whenever I visit on Memorial Day and on Veteran's Day as well.
Have A Safe & Happy Memorial Day My Friends,
Phil