Memorial Day 2020
Memorial Day 2020 will be different than any other Memorial Day. There will be no parades or large gatherings. America and the world are fighting a different battle today.
But in our hearts we honor those that gave their lives in defense of our country. These brave men and women are our brothers and sisters. Lest we forget.
ABSOLUTELY NO POLITICS
Thank you for publishing a non-partisan remembrance and memorial to those Americans that made the ultimate sacrifice for the benefit of generations to follow. An article written and made more powerful by an American that actually put their own life on the line to stand shoulder to shoulder with those that sacrificed their own futures to ensure the futures of everyone else. It's an honor and privilege to call you a friend.
IN case anyone thought Memorial Day was about picnics or a day at the beach.
Heartbreaking!
Reality.
Yep, I squirt a few annually this holiday. Seeing reactions like that does break your heart.
Amen!
Did you know -
I didn't either. Respect.
Wow, new one on me as well.
Thx 1st
That's very sad
A beautiful tribute to those who have given their all for their country and their loved ones. A tribute that honors those who so loved their country that they laid down the most precious thing they had, their life, to help protect those they loved, and also those they did not even know.
Thank you for this great tribute to allow us here at NT the chance to express our thanks for their making their selfless ultimate sacrifice.
May Ye ho waah watch over them as they move on to the next steps of their own eternal journey, and may they find the lasting peace they so truly deserve.
nv-wa-do-hi-ya-dv (Peace)
In memory of my Dad, some/many uncles, cousins, aunts, and the many military friends/partners I've had and known.
Ft. Leavenworth, KS - 28,000 interred.
RIP - Job well done.
Semper Fi.
Forever grateful to the ones who have given their lives standing in between us and those who would harm us. Still miss my brother every single day.
MSSA xxxxx xxxx xxxxxxxx lost from the USS xxxxxxx 9 January, 19xx.
that's why I have lots of reasons for a love/hate relationship with this holiday. while any type of war is usually a necessary activity to defend ourselves, our allies, and most of the rest of the world at one point or another, we need to remember those that sacrificed their lives left behind others, the families of our nation's most precious resource. they share on a much more personal level the loss of a life not fully realized. their own ultimate sacrifice to our nation, the loss of a loved one for our nation, unique loss of a part of their own lives.
it seems as though it's getting easier and easier to find people that have been personally affected by the horror of war(s). unless you yourself have been personally affected, any measure of sympathetic words generally fall well short of the mark. what can you say to someone that lost a person so close to them without hurting them even more. what should you say to someone that must carry this personal grief every day for the rest of their lives. there is nothing, except that I did not know him, but thank you, for what he and your family did for my family, and every other American family. in our history as a nation, so very few Americans ever give so much to attain that revered level of honor and stature, and your family shares that. I'm very sorry, and most sincere thank you.
Our deepest gratitude goes to those who have sacrificed so much to keep us safe and free. You will not be forgotten.
Thank you for posting, Kavika.
One day I am walking through an antique store looking for a picture frame. I came across these two frames made of oak, which is what I was looking for, but when I took a look at what was inside the two frames, my heart sank. Both frames held a war memorial to Alphonse Natalie, who died in the "Great War" One was from the US, hand signed by Woodrow Willson and the other from France, where he died, signed by the French president Georges Clemenceau. I took the frames to the dealer who knew me well and asked him how much for the frames. He told me, for you, nothing so long as you make me this promise. This boy died for our freedom and has no one to remember him. You need to restore the oak frames and hang them in your home so that he has a family to remember him. I understood this since I was raised by a vet of two wars, and I made him the promise.
I had the frames restored and we hung them in our house and although we have moved four times since, Alphonse has always had a place in our living room as one of our family members.
Respect and thank you for doing this.
I forgot to post the certificates.
Thank you.
You are, indeed, an honorable person - thanks Perrie.
Thank you for your deep felt respect and kindness for Alphonse. May he also represent the many others who have no family to remember and/or thank them for the ultimate sacrifice they made for all those they have never met.
Thank you. There can be no greater respect shown.
I have this photo framed and hanging in the den. I've entitled it, ''The Sentinal''
He walks in the footsteps of his ancestors.
15 Things You Never Knew About Memorial Day
Let's remember the meaning and history of the federal holiday.
The last Monday in May
Memorial Day celebrations will be a little different this year. Whether you typically spend the day at the gravesides of fallen soldiers or cracking open a beer on the beach, the holiday will be spent at home this year, with those you live with or even alone. Maybe this year can serve as a reminder as to why we even have a day off at the end of May in the first place. We can set up chairs on our front porch or back deck, enjoy the sun with our favorite barbecue foods, and remember those who fought for our freedom.
It had a name change
When the first versions of Memorial Day were celebrated after the Civil War, the event went by the name Decoration Day , when flowers were laid on graves.
It was initially designed just for the Civil War
For more than 100 years, Memorial Day was reserved for honoring the lives of Civil War soldiers. The holiday didn’t expand to casualties of all American wars until after World War I. In 1971, it was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress.
Its birthplace causes a hot debate
About two dozen towns across the United States claim they were the first to celebrate Memorial (or Decoration) Day. The U.S. government gives Waterloo, New York, the official “birthplace” title, though there were informal celebrations before the village’s May 5, 1866, event.
Freed slaves celebrated Memorial Day
On May 1, 1865—less than two weeks before the end of the Civil War—newly freed slaves in Charleston, South Carolina, held a ceremony reburying fallen Union soldiers with a proper burial. Even though it came before the Waterloo event (and many other decoration days), experts don’t consider it the first Memorial Day because it didn’t directly lead to the federal holiday.
The date was chosen for its weather
Most experts believe Major General John A. Logan planned the first Decoration Day for May 30, 1868, because Northern and Southern states would have flowers in bloom by then, though others believe the date was ideal because it didn’t coincide with the anniversary of any battles.
The first Memorial Day was just as big as today’s
In 1868, about 5,000 people decorated graves at Arlington National Cemetery’s first Memorial Day ceremony. About the same number of people still gather there annually.
It wasn’t always on the last Monday of May
Until 1971, when Memorial Day became an official federal holiday, the annual commemoration stayed on May 30, no matter what day of the week. Once the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed, it lined its official date up to the day of the week: the final Monday in May.
The flag shouldn’t stay at half-staff all day
Federal guidelines say the flag should be displayed at half-staff only until noon, then go up to full-staff until sundown.
"Taps" started as a goodnight song
During the Civil War, a U.S. general thought the bugle call signaling bedtime could use a more melodious tune, so he wrote the notes for “Taps” in 1862. Another officer later used the bugle song for a funeral , fearing the traditional firing of rifles might sound like an attack. Now, “Taps” is a traditional part of Memorial Day celebrations.
A poem inspired the poppy tradition
During World War I, Canadian Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae wrote the poem " In Flanders Fields ." Inspired by the poem’s image of red poppies scattered through cross-shaped grave markers, American Moina Michael and France's Anna E. Guerin started selling artificial poppies as a fundraiser for children affected by the war.
Bikers hold a demonstration
On Memorial Day in 1988, about 2,500 motorcycles rode through Washington, D.C., calling the government to account for prisoners of war and those missing in action. By 2017, the annual Rolling Thunder First Amendment Demonstration Run , which brings awareness to forgotten Vietnam War veterans, had grown to about 900,000 riders.
Some states have their own Confederate memorial days
Southern states including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina plan their own Confederate Memorial Day (or in the case of Texas, Confederate Heroes Day) on various dates, depending on the state.
It is required by law to observe a National Moment of Remembrance
Congress passed a law in December of 2000 that requires Americans to pause at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day to honor the fallen soldiers. For most people, this law isn't common knowledge since typically people are indulging in hot dogs and beer on the beach at this time, but maybe this year, since the celebrations will be altered, we can take a moment to respect those who fought for us.
The BBQ tradition isn't just a modern one
The tradition of celebrating Memorial Day with a barbecue actually began with having a picnic lunch at the burial sites of fallen loved ones. The day has always been honored with food.
There are a lot of veterans
Forty-five million veterans have served our country during wartime. As of last year, there were a projected 15 million living wartime veterans in the United States. While the holiday is typically an excuse for a day on the beach instead of in the office, there are so many people still walking among us today that we should salute.
I didn't know that about three pm.
President Bill Clinton
Neither did I.
In my family this day has always been a day to honor all the fallen. Military or otherwise. A day to attend services that honor military fallen and freshen up other family plots.
Its strange, more often that not Memorial Day is usually a dreary, rainy day here. We usually get wet. It seems fitting ....
Thank you for posting this, Ender. It is something some of us never knew.....or something some of us have forgotten.
Rest easy brothers and sisters, we have the watch
Semper Fi
So very beautiful and heart warming. Thank you for sharing this with us, Kavika. My ancestors have fought in every war in America since the Revolutionary War. They never fought to save the lives of the Europeans. They fought to save the land they held sacred, and the lives of those they loved.
My father-in-law when he was stationed in Yokohama, 1945 I believe.
Steve,
Check your PRIVATE NOTES.
A. Mac
I have at least one photo of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument opening in Indianapolis in 1919. Going through my database and will post it and any others that will fit in this thread.
Looking forward to seeing them Mac.
Sit tight, I restored have more than I remembered … will post them as I find them in my backup drives.
I believe the arch began to fall apart a year or two after it was erected.
© A. Mac/A.G.
Finding them …
© A. Mac/A.G.
One more … others to come.
© A. Mac/A.G.
Those are great photos, Mac.
I'll post more in the morning.
That really is one of the more impressive monuments in the US. Worth a visit to anyone who hasn’t seen it.
Leonard Cohen recites 'In Flanders Fields'
Listen to the late great poet read Lt.-Col. John McCrae's signature Remembrance Day poem
Memorial Day, wherein memories and thoughts are the same as Canadian Remembrance Day, when for two minutes everything and everyone in Canada stops and is silent - at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.....
From Wikipedia:
In a small town in northern Minnesota, there is a huge weeping birch tree with a small bronze plaque that simply says.
Monroe Graywolf W.........
A Rendezvous with Destiny.
The tree was planted after WWII in honor of my cousin, Monroe Graywolf W.......who was KIA at the Battle of Bastogne, December 24th, 1944.
General Lee, commanding general of the 101st Airborne (Screaming Eagles) in a speech to the troopers of the 101st a new unit, before they left for Europe.
''We have no history but we have a rendezvous with destiny''.
Yes they did. Their heroics at Bastogne is now part of history.
Additional images
© A.Mac/A.G.…
© A. Mac/A.G.
Was the top photo one of the ''glass'' ones that you were able to work with?
It is as are the first three I posted … and I have more to come.
Great
Last year they dedicated this memorial.
My editorial comment …
© A. Mac/A.G.
I'll be away for some time. I've locked the article and will reopen when I return.
Veterans Park, Ocala FL.
Monument to the Navajo Code Talkers, Veterans Park, Ocala Fl.
You have an amazing memorial park, Kavika. Ocala does it proud!
An awesome tribute!
Semper Fi
A monument to Native American, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians warriors will be dedicated on Veterans Day, 2020. (pandemic permitting) in Washington DC.
Native American Veterans Memorial coming to Washington
A permanent tribute to Native American military veterans will soon take its place in Washington, a city known for memorials to those who have played important roles in U.S. history .
Native Americans have served in each of America’s military conflicts since the Revolutionary War, according to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian. The National Native American Veterans Memorial, now under construction, will be situated on museum grounds on the National Mall . It is expected to be unveiled at the end of 2020.
Artist and military veteran Harvey Pratt, a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, submitted the winning design for the memorial. His concept, titled Warriors’ Circle of Honor , was chosen from among 120 submissions.
The new memorial will feature a huge stainless steel circle mounted on an intricately carved stone drum, with a flame ignited at the circle’s base on ceremonial occasions. The circle — a fixture in Native American storytelling — suggests the cycle of life and death, and the continuity of all things.
Pratt’s vision also incorporates four arcing benches facing the circle sculpture, where visitors can gather to share stories of their loved ones’ military experiences (or their own).
The benches will be surrounded by a red brick walkway, with four symmetrically spaced lances jutting skyward. Lances are a traditional emblem of military courage, but these symbolic weapons will serve an additional purpose: Visitors are invited to tie prayer cloths to them.
As for the stone drum that supports the steel circle, it’s meant to convey the constant pulse of Native American spirit and sacrifice across the breadth of U.S. history.
The National Museum of the American Indian estimates some 140,000 Native American veterans are alive today, plus about 31,000 Native Americans and Native Alaskans now serving in the U.S. military.
These men and women are “perfectly aware” that they are serving a country that has not always kept its commitment to Indians, “and yet they chose — and are still choosing — to serve,” says the museum’s director, Kevin Gover (a member of Oklahoma’s Pawnee tribe). “This reflects a very deep kind of patriotism. I can think of no finer example of service to the United States and the promise it holds.”
Awesome, congrats!
I will gladly visit and pay my respects when its done.
Hot Springs, South Dakota, 1915; I believe this to be the only such photograph that exists anywhere. I restored and digitized the image from a glass slide.
© A. Mac/A.G.
Amazing photo.
Great article, Kavika !
Thanks, pat.
Thanks for the remembrance article, Kavika and for reminding all of us what Memorial Day is all about.