Memorial Day is not just the unofficial start to summer and a day off from school and work, most importantly it is a day for us as a nation to stop and remember those men and women who gave their lives in service to their country.
The holiday began on May 30, 1868, when Union General John A. Logan declared the day to be used to decorate the graves of Civil War soldiers.
Twenty years later, the name was changed to Memorial Day. On May 11, 1950, Congress passed a resolution requesting that the President issue a proclamation calling on Americans to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people of the United States might unite in prayer.
President Richard M. Nixon declared Memorial Day a federal holiday in 1971. Memorial Day is now observed on the last Monday of May. It is an occasion to honor the men and women who died in all wars.
In the year 2000, a change in the way Memorial Day was observed was proposed to help the nation put the idea of remembering back into the holiday.
“To ensure the sacrifices of America ’s fallen heroes are never forgotten, in December 2000, the U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law 'The National Moment of Remembrance Act,' P.L. 106-579, creating the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. The commission’s charter is to 'encourage the people of the United States to give something back to their country, which provides them so much freedom and opportunity' by encouraging and coordinating commemorations in the United States of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance," reads the Memorial Day History page on the Office of Veteran's Affairs' website.
"The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation. As Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella LaSpada states: 'It’s a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day.'”
At National Cemeteries all over the country, armies of volunteers gather to place flags on the graves at the cemetery, honoring their service and sacrifice.
Soldiers place U.S. flags at Arlington National Cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition called "Flags In." pic.twitter.com/mCNP4PM4Rz
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 26, 2016
If you have never gone to a National Cemetery I encourage you to take time to visit one. I have a brother and Father buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC.
When we traveled to Washington for the funeral, the atmosphere of honor and respect permeated the place and it is overwhelming. There is a quiet reverence about the whole area. No one needs to remind you to be quiet, you can do little else when you observe the grounds. To see the rows and rows of white marble headstones lined up like soldiers at attention realizing that each one of those stone monuments represents the life of a man or woman who selflessly gave of themselves for us to remain free and safe. Those moments the pull of political viewpoints and ideology seem so insignificant in the face of such amazing sacrifice.
you then something else that is traditional at all services will. The playing
of Taps on a bugle is something that is done at the end of every funeral and at special services like on memorial day.
At the beginning Taps was a way for solders to put a ‘tap’ on their activities and head to bed, it signaled “lights out” and the end of their days work and time for rest.
It was first played at Stonewall Jackson's funeral ten months after it was composed and now Army infantry regulations by 1891 required taps to be played at military funeral ceremonies. A symbolic end to the solders working and a time for them to enter into rest.
For more information about the history of taps, visit this site and this site.
This Memorial Day in between time with your family and enjoying the beach remember the men and woman whose sacrificed their lives so that we can be The land of the Free.
Happy Memorial Day!
