Armchair Ponderings Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day

One directive to my children was “never let a day pass without learning at least one new thing.” It is still applicable today in a letter of graduation to my great granddaughter this week. We all know that next Monday, May 29, 2023 is Memorial Day and to most of this country will be the day off work to celebrate in cemeteries, in town squares and in churches. Mostly it will be celebrated with trips to the beach, to backyard Bar-B-Ques and family gatherings; with little thought of the thousands of soldiers who died in America’s wars.

Memorial Day is dedicated to all the military who lost their lives during combat. Not to be mistaken with Veteran’s Day, the day that celebrates any individual who served in the military during wars or during peace time. Then there is Armed Forces Day that celebrates all active military; that happened with very little fanfare last week on May 20th. Memorial Day is designated as a federal holiday in the United States. It was known as Decoration Day in the years following the Civil War until 1971 when the name changed to Memorial Day.

May 1, 1865, not long after the end of the Civil War, freed, enslaved people, and some locals, honored the dead by singing hymns and placing flowers on their graves. This evolved into Decoration Day and then Memorial Day. Honoring dead soldiers started a bit earlier. A little research enlightens those who seek knowledge; I still believe in learning something new each day. I’m old but I don’t quite remember 431 B.C. and the Peloponnesian War. That was the first time on record that soldiers killed in that war were honored with speeches by Greek statesman Pericles at public funerals. Each year after, those commemorations continued. (For readers who may not be octogenarians or even septuagenarians and were members of classes where learning history was outdated, you may want to look up Peloponnesian war between Athens and Sparta that lasted ten years.)

There was some controversy as to where the celebration originated in this country; that was put to rest when the Federal Government decreed that Waterloo, New York would be designated as the official birthplace of Memorial Day, this took place one hundred years after the end of the Civil War. For history buffs, the Civil War ended officially August 20, 1866.

Have a safe day, wherever you happen to be, and spend a few seconds thanking those who gave up their lives and made it possible for you and your families to spend the day as you see fit.