May 26, 2013
May 25, 2013
The history of Memorial Day!
On May 5, 1868, began what we now know as Memorial Day observed on the 4th Sunday of May.
Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.
The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
The ceremonies centered around the mourning-draped veranda of the Arlington mansion, once the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Various Washington officials, including Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, presided over the ceremonies. After speeches, children from the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their way through the cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns.
Local Observances Claim To Be First Local springtime tributes to the Civil War dead already had been held in various places. One of the first occurred in Columbus, Miss., April 25, 1866, when a group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle at Shiloh. Nearby were the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because they were the enemy. Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well.
Today, cities in the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866. Both Macon and Columbus, Ga., claim the title, as well as Richmond, Va. The village of Boalsburg, Pa., claims it began there two years earlier. A stone in a Carbondale, Ill., cemetery carries the statement that the first Decoration Day ceremony took place there on April 29, 1866. Carbondale was the wartime home of Gen. Logan. Approximately 25 places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, many of them in the South where most of the war dead were buried.
Official Birthplace Declared In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., the “birthplace” of Memorial Day. There, a ceremony on May 5, 1866, honored local veterans who had fought in the Civil War. Businesses closed and residents flew flags at half-staff. Supporters of Waterloo’s claim say earlier observances in other places were either informal, not community-wide or one-time events.
By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation. State legislatures passed proclamations designating the day, and the Army and Navy adopted regulations for proper observance at their facilities.
It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day. It was then also placed on the last Monday in May, as were some other federal holidays.
Some States Have Confederate Observances Many Southern states also have their own days for honoring the Confederate dead. Mississippi celebrates Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday of April, Alabama on the fourth Monday of April, and Georgia on April 26. North and South Carolina observe it on May 10, Louisiana on June 3 and Tennessee calls that date Confederate Decoration Day. Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day January 19 and Virginia calls the last Monday in May Confederate Memorial Day.
Gen. Logan’s order for his posts to decorate graves in 1868 “with the choicest flowers of springtime” urged: “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. ... Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no 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.”
The crowd attending the first Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery was approximately the same size as those that attend today’s observance, about 5,000 people. Then, as now, small American flags were placed on each grave — a tradition followed at many national cemeteries today. In recent years, the custom has grown in many families to decorate the graves of all departed loved ones.
The origins of special services to honor those who die in war can be found in antiquity. The Athenian leader Pericles offered a tribute to the fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian War over 24 centuries ago that could be applied today to the 1.1 million Americans who have died in the nation’s wars: “Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men.”
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.
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.”
May 17, 2013
Month of May Dedicated to Appreciating Servicemembers
On May 1, 2007, Congress designated May as National Military Appreciation Month.
The Web site, www.nmam.org, encourages citizens to draw attention and express appreciation to military families across the nation by engaging schools, civic organizations and businesses to organize events like visiting veterans hospitals, making trips to military memorials and museums, and decorating with patriotic themes.
The site also features a map of the United States which lists local Military Appreciation Month events in each state.
The Defense Department is taking part in the month-long celebration with America Supports You, a DoD program highlighting the support of grassroots groups and corporate partners to the armed forces, co-hosting events throughout the nation.
The program will take part in events like the McDonald’s Air & Sea Show in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; the Joint Services Open House at Andrews Air Force Base, Md.; and Professional Golfers’ Association events across the nation. An America Supports You concert featuring singer Jenny Boyle is slated for May 4 at the Pentagon. NASCAR will unveil an ASY car at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., on May 8.
The Washington Capitals hockey team have scheduled a Military Appreciation Day at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., for May 11.
ASY team member Shauna Fleming, founder of A Million Thanks has teamed up with Buick, Pontiac and GMC divisions of General Motors to collect thank you letters from the public for the troops. People can drop off their letters in Shauna’s red, white and blue boxes at GM car dealers across the nation. For more information and to see Shauna’s videos go to www.amillionthanks.org.
Discovery is producing a series of "Thank You's" for The Military Channel where citizens from all over the country will be "thanking the troops" for all their service to our country.
The months of May and June host a number of other patriotic commemorations, including Victory in Europe Day, Military Spouse Day, Loyalty Day, Armed Forces Week, Memorial Day, Flag Day and the observance of the Navy and Army birthdays.
May 6, 2013
May is Military Appreciation Month.
Below is 12 ways to show your support.
#1 SUBMIT A NMAM 2013 Proclamation and AMHM 2013 Proclamation TO YOUR STATE AND/OR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE.
#2 FLY THE FLAG ON YOUR HOUSE, CAR, and/or BUSINESS DURING MAY
#3 SEND A CARE PACKAGE TO A SOLDIER THROUGH USOCARES
#4 ORGANIZE AN EVENT IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY, AND AT YOUR WORKPLACE
#5 ASK YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AT ALL LEVELS TO RECOGNIZE OUR MILITARY
#6 SEND AN EMAIL OR LETTER OF THANKS THROUGH A Million Thanks
#7 ADOPT A HERO AT SOLDIERS' ANGELS!
#8 ASK LIBRARIES, SCHOOLS, ORGANIZATIONS TO PARTICIPATE IN RECOGNIZING OUR ARMED FORCES
#9 ASK LOCAL MEDIA (TV, RADIO, NEWSPAPER) TO FEATURE
#10 WHEN YOU SEE A PERSON IN A MILITARY UNIFORM, SHAKE THEIR HAND AND SAY, "THANK YOU FOR SERVING OUR COUNTRY"
#11 ENCOURAGE SCHOOLS TO STUDY AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY DURING THIS MONTH!
#12 HIRE A VETERAN!
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