Memorial Day was previously known as “Decoration Day” after the Civil War. It began in Charleston, South Carolina on May 1st, 1865 when thousands of teachers, missionaries and black residents cleared the burial sites of Union soldiers and decorated their graves with flowers in respect for their bravery. In1967, by federal law, it was officially named Memorial day and declared to be celebrated on the third Monday in May.
Today we celebrate Memorial Day with a three day weekend, barbecues and time to spend with family and friends. It ushers in the summer, warm days, balmy nights and anticipation of the warm months ahead. It’s exciting to go to the parades, wave our flags and pay homage to those men and women who gave their lives to protect the country we live in.
However, I fear when the parades have ended and our lives get back to the day-to-day, we’ll forget just how great a sacrifice the thousands upon thousands of men and women made for our country over the decades.
My father served in WWII and in Korea, my uncles represented every branch of military in Europe and Japan. My Aunt was a WAC and served in the Philippine islands. During the war my grandmother worked at the Detroit “Willow Run” plant building airplanes, she was the “Rosie the Riveter” that we hear talked about today. Every man, women and child was involved in the war effort, whether selling war bonds or collecting materials needed for the troops. Families were often apart for months, even years at a time and women were left to “hold down the fort” doing the job of both parent and breadwinner.
In spite of the hardships, an unspoken camaraderie radiated coast to coast. There was never an expectation that volunteer efforts or sacrifices would be met with reward, regardless of age, everyone understood their actions were being done for the good of all and country.
We’ve had more then our share of wars since the end of WWII, some that should never have happened, however the commitments made by those men and women were the same and challenges just as great. The one thing missing however has been the comradery, those wars didn’t affect our daily lives and we had more then enough skepticism to keep us at arms length and uninvolved. I fear, however, that our skepticism somehow failed the younger generations.
In January, 1961 President John F. Kennedy said in his inaugural speech “My fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.” Americans took pride in those words, schools taught civics and encouraged the young to volunteer time to their communities, join Americorps, Peace Corp and a host of other excellent organizations. Many did so, and learned more than any amount of money could buy, they gained experience, compassion, commitment, dedication and most of all, they learned about themselves.
Most schools don’t teach civic’s anymore or encourage community service, however as parents we can teach our children that the price of freedom should be shared by everyone, not just the soldiers who risked their lives, but by all who benefited from it.
The best thing we can do to honor these fallen soldiers and the families who sacrificed so much, is to instill in our young people the passion for country that we’ve somehow lost along the way, and to teach them that the greatest rewards often come without monetary compensation.
Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all that gave the ultimate price to keep our country free.