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 Memorial Day used to be a solemn day of mourning, a sacred day of remembrance to honor those who paid the ultimate price for our freedoms. Businesses closed for the day. Towns held parades honoring the fallen, the parade routes often times ending at a local cemetery, where Memorial Day speeches were given and prayers offered up. People took the time that day to clean and decorate with flowers and flags the graves of those the fell in service to their country."Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic." -- General Logan - May 5, 1868 We need to remember with sincere respect those who paid the price for our freedoms; we need to keep in sacred remembrance those who died serving their country. We need to never let them be forgotten. However, over the years the original meaning and spirit of Memorial Day has faded from the public consciousness.
And I'm PROUD to be an American where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land God bless the USA.
From the lakes of Minnesota, to the hills of Tennessee,
across the plains of Texas, from sea to shining sea,
From Detroit down to Houston and New York to LA
Well, there's pride in every American heart,
and it's time we stand and say that
I'm PROUD to be an American where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land (love this land)God bless the USA.
And I'm PROUD to be an American where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land (love this land)God bless the USA.
 The "Memorial" in Memorial Day has been ignored by too many of us who are beneficiaries of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Often we do not observe the day as it should be, a day where we actively remember our ancestors, our family members, our loved ones, our neighbors, and our friends who have given the ultimate sacrifice:by visiting cemeteries and placing flags or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes. by visiting memorials. by flying the U.S. Flag at half-staff until noon. by flying the 'POW/MIA Flag' as well (Section 1082 of the 1998 Defense Authorization Act). by participating in a "National Moment of Remembrance": at 3 p.m. to pause and think upon the true meaning of the day, and for Taps to be played. by renewing a pledge to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of our falled dead, and to aid the disabled veterans.
On May 30, 1868, our country observed the first Memorial Day. It was called Decoration Day at that time. Following the Civil War, dozens of local communities across the country were organizing observances of fallen Civil War soldiers by placing flowers at their gravesites.The official birthplace of Memorial Day is Waterloo, New York. On May 5, 1868, General, John A. Logan, in his role as commander-in-chief of a veteran's organization called The Grand Army of the Republic, introduced a proclamation that Decoration Day be observed nationally. On May 30 of the same year it was observed and the date was chosen specifically because it was not the anniversary of a battle. Graves of fallen Union soldiers were decorated in remembrance. Due to lingering resentment, many southern U.S. states did not celebrate Decoration Day. One exception was Columbus, Mississippi, where both Union and Confederate soldiers were buried and which on April 25, 1866 observed Decoration Day. The term Memorial Day was first used in 1882 and didn't become common until after World War II. It wasn't declared a holiday until 1967. The United States Congress on June 28, 1968 passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May and created the current three-day holiday weekend. The other holidays affected by this law were Washington's Birthday (now celebrated as President's Day) and Veteran's Day. The law became effective at the federal level in 1971 and all fifty states adopted the law within a few years. So, this weekend, hundreds of thousands of Americans will make pilgrimages to cemeteries to remember loved ones lost and decorate graves with flowers. Remembering is one of the principle spiritual exercises and it is the parent of lessons learned. For when we remember people whom we have loved and lost, the best qualities of them come back to us and if we are conscious about them, we gain valuable insight and lessons from their lives. And remembering keeps our loved ones alive within us. Flowers, whose subtle yet profound symbolism is also spiritually based, have been a significant part of all cultures since antiquity. They accompany us in every major event in life - birth, marriage, graduations, illness and finally death. So as we remember our loved ones who have died and our soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice, we will be well served by the inspiration and lessons learned that present themselves to us in our remembering. We should also contemplate the spirituality of the flowers we place on their gravesites - their purity and profound perfection will mark yet another Memorial Day and symbolize the love we hold for those who have gone before us.
Author: Doug Billings
I'd like to finish this page and thank all those who have served and those who still serve our country proudly.And I'd especially like to thank Glen Landers & Jerry Browning for not only serving our country, but also for being the Greatest & Bravest men I've ever known....I love you guys!
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