MEMORIAL DAY IS ABOUT THE HIGH COST OF FREEDOM
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/05/25/lets-not-forget-what-memorial-day-weekend-is-really-all-about-the-high-cost-of-freedom/
I’ve gotten tons of press releases in the past few weeks pitching stories on steaks, cookbooks and barbecue accessories, reminding me that Memorial Day weekend is the start of “grilling season.” Likewise I’ve gotten sun-related pitches reminding me that Memorial Day weekend is the start of “beach season.” I’ve also gotten pitches tied to the Indy 500 car race, the world’s largest single day sporting event, always held on Memorial Day weekend (unless it rains). Elsewhere in the world of sports, the Senior PGA Championship is being played this weekend in Michigan.
Grilling burgers? Going to the beach? Sports on TV?
Memorial Day is about none of these things.
It is a Federal holiday honoring members of the United States Armed Forces who have died in war or while otherwise serving their country. Our country. It began as Decoration Day following the Civil War, because the living would honor the dead by decorating their graves. This tradition endures, especially at military cemeteries like Arlington National Cemetery where an American flag is placed on every single grave. In non-military cemeteries the fallen are likewise honored, usually by friends and relatives, but anyone is free to pay their respects to those who made the greatest possible sacrifice so that the rest of us can continue to do what we enjoy doing. The traditional time to visit cemeteries or war memorials is at 3PM local time on Memorial Day, which is Monday. U.S. flags will be flown at half-mast until noon. According to the US Government’s website, you can also “Pay tribute to the U.S. men and women who died during military service by observing a minute of silence at 3:00 PM, local time.”
Memorial Day used to be held on May 30 regardless, and was moved to the last Monday in May in 1968 to create a three-day annual weekend. Interestingly there are those who oppose the weekend idea and advocate its return to fixed date, including the Veterans of Foreign War (VFW). In the Eighties Hawaiian Senator Daniel Inouye, himself a WWII veteran, introduced legislation (unsuccessful) to return the original date. The idea is that if Memorial Day was not simply a long weekend holiday for going to the beach and grilling, more Americans might actually realize that it has a deeper and much more somber meaning.
To the members of the United States Armed Services, past and present, thank you for your service.
“The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.” John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Comments are closed.
