To many, Memorial
Day is the unofficial beginning of summer. The three day Memorial Holiday is a time of relaxation with family gatherings,
barbecue on the grill, civic parades and celebrations, and, if one is a race
fan…the running of the Indianapolis 500, which has been run during every
Memorial Day weekend since 1911 with the exception of the WWII years.
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| West Berlin, 1965 My dad, R.L. Downing, 1945 |
As the twentieth century wars took their toll with World War I and
World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War, and now our present struggle
against terrorism, Memorial Day, as it has come to be known, has evolved into our
honoring all military personnel who have died while in service of their
country.
For the first 100
years, Memorial Day was observed on May 30, but in 1968 Congress changed the
date to the last Monday in May to allow the public to enjoy a three-day
holiday. Many states resisted changing the date at the time because they felt it would undermine the
meaning of the day, and time has proven that the three day holiday has
contributed to the public’s somewhat nonchalant observance the day’s purpose.
There are still
some traditional observances which occur on Memorial Day.
(1)
At most military cemeteries and federal office
buildings on Memorial Day, the flag of the United States is briskly raised to
its topmost position on the flagpole, then slowly and solemnly lowered to the
half-staff position only until noon, at which time it is again raised to full
staff the remainder of the day. The
half-staff position is to honor the more than one million heroes who have given
their lives in service to their country.
At noon, the flag is raised to honor the living who have resolved not to
let the sacrifices of the fallen be in vain, but to rise up in their stead to
continue the fight for liberty.
(2)
In
the shadows of the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., the National Memorial
Day Concert takes place.
(3) At exactly 3:00 p.m. local time across the nation, citizens are encouraged to
pause for a moment of silence and remembrance for our fallen soldiers.
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| 1965 2015 |
On May 3, 1915, Colonel John McCrae,
an officer with the Canadian army in the Flanders area of Belgium during the
First World War, observed after months of fighting that poppies seemed to grow
well around the graves of young fallen soldiers. He was inspired to write this poem which is
written from the viewpoint of the dead and speaks of their sacrifice and serves
as their command to the living to press on:
In Flanders Fields.
In Flanders field the poppies grow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place, and in the sky
The larks,
still bravely singing, fly
Scarcely heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunsets glow
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders field
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you from failing hand we throw
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
In
1918, inspired by the poem, a woman named Moina Michael attended a memorial
wearing a silk poppy pinned to her coat and distributed over two dozen to
others present. Within two years the
poppy had become the official symbol of remembrance.
We who live in this country today enjoy spiritual freedom because of the sacrifice of our
savior. As we enjoy our families and
celebrate over this holiday period, may we also give honor to those who also
made the supreme sacrifice to make our country’s freedom possible. In the words
of Abraham Lincoln…
”May we resolve that these dead shall not have
died in
vain---that this nation, under God, shall
have a new birth of freedom---and
that the
government of the people, by the people, and
for the people, shall not
perish from the earth."
May God bless
the United States of America.
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