Memorial Day, 2015 - A Remembrance

Memorial Day has always been for me, and many other Americans, a solemn day of remembrance of our war dead. I recall as a little boy my first Memorial Day celebration in 1957, where I went with my Dad to his hometown in Howard Beach, NY to see the parade which was much different than any other parade I had seen before. There was a constant beat of the drums but there was no songs played, as men and, to a lesser extent, women marching with their American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars hats, in suits or dresses, of all ages and sizes, to the center of the community where the American flag was at half-staff.

My Dad was a veteran of the Forgotten War, the Korean “Conflict”, along with a younger brother and a dear friend, while two of his older brothers were veterans of World War II. They were all there, paying homage to their friends who had died in the battles of war, defending our liberties and freedoms from possible foreign aggressors, like the Nazis, the Japanese Empire and the Communists of China and the old Soviet Union. My cousins and I stood in awe as five and six year olds, as we listened to the speeches given by men and women who saw and understood the horror of war.

This impacted me greatly throughout my life and the lives of so many of my generation. I pray always for our troops who still fight the foreign wars to protect our liberties and freedoms for all of us at home. I pray that someday we may find a way to finally bring peace to the world, a world filled with aggressors against peoples weaker than them. I pray that someday, for our children and grandchildren, we can tell them it was all done to give them a world better than the one we grew up and lived in.

Please remember why this is a holiday and a Holy Day in this country. Our fathers, mothers, grandparents and all our ancestors sacrificed much to give us the America we have today. And some, God Bless Them, gave the Ultimate Sacrifice and paid with their blood to ensure the Blessings of Liberty we continue to enjoy and hope to pass on to our posterity.

THAT is the meaning of Memorial Day to me.

Friday, May 23, 2014

The Meaning of Memorial Day (revisited)

This commentary was originally published on May 24, 2013 in honor of Memorial Day, and to give it its proper due for all of us to remember why we celebrate it. You can find this commentary and others in my personal blogsite, Frank McHale’s Viewpoints, Frankmchalesviews.blogspot.com. Your comments are certainly always welcome. Thank you and enjoy! -FM

Friday, May 24, 2013

The Meaning of Memorial Day

It's Memorial Day weekend and many of us will be at BBQs, at the beach, in the mountains or visiting with friends and relatives. It is the "unofficial" start of summer, where leisure time is treasured and the warmer weather makes us feel so alive. As Americans, we live mostly in temperate climates, although Alaskans will say "where?", Floridians will have something to say about the humidity, and Hawaiians will say they are in weather paradise.

However, it seems we have lost some of the meaning of Memorial Day. Sure, we know it is one of our federal holidays, like Labor Day, Columbus Day and Presidents' Day. But do we understand the history and significance of this special day?

Initially, it was created after the American Civil War to honor those soldiers who died, whether Union or Confederate, as they were all Americans. The holiday was called Decoration Day, because it was felt, that friends and families would go to the gravesites of the deceased and adorn the grave with flowers, plants, ribbons or other appropriate decoration. By the early 20th century, the holiday evolved not only to honor Civil War dead, but any member of the Armed Forces who died in battle. The name was changed, as well, to Memorial Day and moved to May 31 throughout the country in order to be consistent.

This holiday's purpose should not be confused with Veterans Day, initially called Armistice Day to celebrate the end of WWI, which honors all veterans, living and now deceased. These honorees did not have to die in battle to be so honored, only that they served.

In 1970, Memorial Day was moved to the last Monday in May. This was done so that we would have several three-day weekends to make our work weeks somewhat more efficient for business. Other holidays which fall on Mondays for this purpose are MLK Day, Presidents' Day, Labor Day and Columbus Day.

The remaining holidays stayed on their calendar date. These are New Year's Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Initially, Veterans Day was moved to the last Monday in October, but veterans' groups complained, so the Congress moved the holiday back to November 11th.

So, while you are in your backyard, the park or other site enjoying your Memorial Day party, take a moment to close your eyes, say a prayer, and thank all the deceased military who gave their lives protecting our freedom, preserving our liberty and allowing us to live in the most democratic country the world has ever seen.

It is the least we can do as Americans. Our Founding Fathers would expect as much.