If you’re like me, it can be easy to get caught up in the fun of a three-day weekend and overlook the purpose of the day. But it’s a day worth understanding and commemorating.
To truly appreciate Memorial Day (and for those of us who are parents, to pass its significance on to our children) we must first grasp what it means to ourselves.
Memorial Day was first celebrated on May 30, 1868, three years after the Civil War ended. Originally called Decoration Day because of the practice of decorating soldiers’ graves with flowers, it was dedicated to the Union soldiers who died to preserve the country.
The term “Memorial Day” was first used in 1882, but became more common after World War I. On June 19, 1926, the day was changed to commemorate fallen American soldiers in all wars. Since 1971, Memorial Day has been celebrated on the last Monday of May. In 2000, a National Moment of Remembrance was established by an Act of Congress for 3 p.m. in the afternoon.
Memorial Day is specifically meant to honor the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. That’s not to say we shouldn’t gather with friends and family for food and fun. Those times are important and memorable. It’s just that those shouldn’t be the only memories we have of Memorial Day.
We owe it to the countless men and women who died defending our country and the families they left behind to take some time to honor their sacrifice.
Let us remember the soldiers in Valley Forge who died for the birth of our country and left bloody footprints in the snow; the Buffalo Soldiers who fought for our nation while still being denied certain rights; the young men who stormed the beach at Normandy; and the men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan today.
Thousands upon thousands of Americans have given their lives: 25,000 in the Revolutionary War; 625,000 in the Civil War; 116,708 in World War I; 407,316 in World War II; 36,914 in the Korean War; 58,169 in the Vietnam War; 677 in Afghanistan; and 4,281 in Iraq. Many more perished in other conflicts.
These were sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers who died defending their country.
When President Lincoln learned about a widow who lost five sons in battle, he wrote her a letter. His words are a meaningful tribute to anyone who has lost a loved one in war. Here is part of that letter:
I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.
I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom.
Since the first shot was fired in the War for Independence, family after family has grieved over the loss of a loved one in war. It is fitting that we should remember them and the reason they fought and died. Freedom has a high cost. As Americans we have the unique privilege to live in a country like ours.
Take some time on Memorial Day to talk with your family about what the day means. Make it a teachable moment for your children or grandchildren by telling them about the men and women who have served and died for this country. Their sacrifice has allowed us the luxury to assemble with those we love and enjoy a national holiday in a more secure and peaceful nation.
If you’d like more information about Memorial Day and ideas for observing the holiday visit www.memorialdayfoundation.org or www.remember.gov.
Georgia Family Council is a non-profit research and education organization committed to fostering conditions in which individuals, families and communities thrive.
Post a Comment
