Memorial Day - A Rememberance of Why

"...gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime....let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us as sacred charges upon the Nation's gratitude,...the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan." - General John Logan, General Order No. 11, 5 May 1868

Why do we have a Memorial Day?
When should we be celebrating Memorial Day?
How should we honor this Day?

We have been  - as a collective society  - enjoying the 3 or 4 day weekends offered by the Memorial Day Holiday by spending time with our families, going on short vacations, partying and shopping the sales. Memorial Day weekend has been the called "The Official Kick Start of Summer". Do we really understand and remember why we have the pleasure to enjoy this time?
Most of us understand that Memorial Day is when we are to remember all of those who have ultimately sacrificed their lives, so we may live in this Nation of ours. They are the ones who have given everything for us. We should take the time to give thanks to them for all that they have done. 

It all seems to have originated as:
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website, it was originally called Decoration Day,
"Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans .. the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) ..established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared Decoration Day should be observed on May 30, and It's believed that date was
chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.

There are Protocols, and  Resolutions have been added for proper Memorial Day observance. They are as follows:

•  visiting cemeteries and placing flags or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes.

•  visiting memorials.

•  flying the U.S. Flag at half-staff until noon.

•  flying the 'POW/MIA Flag' as well (Section 1082 of the 1998 Defense Authorization Act).

•  participating in a "National Moment of Remembrance": at 3 p.m. to pause and think upon the true meaning of the day, and for Taps to be played.

•  renewing a pledge to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of our falled dead, and to aid the disabled veterans.  

How many of us are aware of these, let alone how many of us observe them?

Notice that this year Memorial Day is on May 27th, not May 30th as it was observed originally.
"Many feel that when Congress made the day into a three-day weekend in with the National Holiday Act of 1971, it made it all the easier for people to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day. As the VFW stated in its 2002 Memorial Day address: "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day." 

So, on Monday are you going to fly the Flag at Half-staff until Noon? I will

At 3:00 will you take pause to think about why this day is named as such and play Taps? I will

And how about the others? Visiting graves, memorials, placing flowers, and aiding those of fallen soldiers and disabled veterans? I will

How about you?
Enjoy your holiday weekend. Be safe, Drive safe.

Keep it between the lines,
Happy Motoring

For More Information about the Origins, History, and Observances of Memorial Day. Check out these links:
www.usmemorialday.org/observe.htm
battle-of-the-memorial-day-birthplaces/
www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html