As the weeks have passed, we as county officials have been involved in things that most of us never could have imagined. As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to subside, let us not forget one of the most important dates that we as Americans recognize each year: Memorial Day.
For so many of us, there are mixed meanings that come with the last Monday of each May that is known as Memorial Day. We celebrate the unofficial first day of summer, take part in family outings, participate in ceremonies held in cemeteries, and take time to respectfully acknowledge those who have gone before and made the ultimate sacrifice of laying down their own lives for our country. Memorial Day is significant, and we should pause in reverence.
Before it was designated as Memorial Day, the date was referred to as Decoration Day, beginning in 1861. However, the tradition of decorating the graves of the fallen goes clear back to an ancient European custom. Commanding General John A. Logan of the “Grand Old Army” started Decoration Day observances in 1866 to remember those who died in service during the Civil War (1861-1865). In that period, soldiers from both sides, roughly 620,000, died as a result of battle.
From the conclusion of the Civil War through the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, as well as most recent confrontations in the Gulf, we as Americans have paused to remember.
The first official public ceremony held to remember those who had fallen was in 1866. The speaker at Arlington National Cemetery was General John Garfield, who later became the 20th president of the United States. Garfield spoke before an estimated crowd of 5,000; interestingly, this is about the same size as the crowds that have attended the annual ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery over the past several years.
Many of us as county officials who have served in various branches of our military throughout the years realize the commitment that was made at the pinnacle of our youth. Whether you were a soldier, sailor, marine, airman, guardsman, man, or woman, the oath you took at induction was iron clad.
Recently, my wife and daughter gave me a placard to hang in my courthouse office, and it reads like this:
A veteran is someone who, at one point in their life,
Wrote a blank check made payable to the United States of America
For an amount of and up to and including their life.
That is honor.
Veterans Day is in November, and we say thank you and celebrate all veterans who have served our country past and present.
Memorial Day is meant to be a day in which all flags are designated to fly at half-staff until noon to show our respect and solemn remembrance from a grateful nation.
Don’t say, “Happy Memorial Day.” Pause in reverence, and be grateful.