This day wasn't recognized as a true federal holiday until 1967 and then it moved to the last Monday in May due to the 1968 Federal 'Uniform Holidays Bill'. Before this, several versions of this 'holiday' were celebrated in various ways across the nation. However, the original observance of the day is credited with being in Charleston South Carolina where in 1865, freedmen gathered to honor the deaths of Union soldiers that had died while being held as POWs. The observance of a day to memorialize US soldiers was most often held on May 1st and known as 'Decoration Day'. This name is due to the tradition that had arisen where women would go to cemeteries and decorate the graves of soldiers who had died.
On this Memorial Day, I would like to remind folks that the reasonings behind the original "Decoration Day' still stand. This holds especially true as our nation is embroiled in several military conflicts across the globe in the spirit of defending our Freedoms and Liberties. Every years, thousands of Americans stand before the flag and take an oath to defend our great nation against "... all enemies, foreign and domestic." These brave people may or may not ever see combat, but they still signed on to do what their Commander-In-Chief sends them forth to do in the name of The United States of America.
In the twentieth century the nature of American warfare took a fundamental shift. Our military became more sophisticated and took on missions that haven't always been something that can be described as beneficial to the defense of our national sovereignty. Now, twelve years into the twenty-first century and 234 since the birth of the United States, our armed forces are finding themselves engaged in at least 2 needless war actions and 'deployed' against fellow Americans. These actions have cost America thousands of lives and countless other casualties that sometimes cost more than just one life.
I do not write this to demean or undermine the significance of the sacrifices made by millions of service members over the last two centuries. But rather to expound upon how utterly important those losses have been and most importantly, still are. We The People of these United States are bound by our acceptance of citizenship to question the ways and means of our government... and questioning the unnecessary sacrifices made by multitudes of American veterans should be at the top of the list. It is high time that our American values outweigh the profiteering of oil and mineral extraction companies that have been the cause of a majority of military conflict in the last 50 years. The United States of America need not engage in conflicts all across the planet to ensure the endurance of our own nation. We as citizens must stand to speak for the many dead and wounded in saying. Enough is enough and we don't want anymore War or rumors of War. We want our service members to defend our nation and to work to improve our nation, not to extend the influence of a privileged few for profit.
So... today as you gather with family and friends, please remember those members of the US Military that made the sacrifices so that we may 'celebrate' with cold beer, grilled meats and whatever else you may fancy. But, I ask that as you return to your routine tomorrow, take a moment to drop a line to your elected representatives demanding the return of ALL those men and women from overseas. They to deserve the opportunity to live their lives in our nation and not be wounded or die in another country for the benefit of someone that couldn't really care less about their well being.
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| Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. |