Memorial Day: FYI
During the Civil War, Southern ladies began decorating the graves of fallen soldiers.
General John A. Logan
(Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-B8172- 6403 DLC (b&w film neg.)]
On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan first proclaimed a day to remember and honor those who sacrificed all. The following quote is from his declaration.
“Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation’s gratitude, the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan.”
Many Northern towns held gatherings -called Decoration Day – on May 30th, but the Southern states refused to celebrate during this time preferring to have their own memorial services. The situation changed during World War I.
It was in the spring of 1915 that Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae a physician from Canada spent seventeen horrific days (thousands of lives were lost) during the Ypres salient – Flanders Field, Belgium. After burying a friend, McCrea was looking out over the trenches and graves. Poppies were blooming around the crosses and over the graves. He scribbled a poem, shared it with another soldier who was moved by what he read. McCrae was dissatisfied with the poem, and threw it in the trash. Another soldier rescued it from the trash and sent it to a newspaper in hopes it would be published. The Spectator refused it, but Punch published In Flanders Field in December 1915.
The poem was well received and later was quoted in an advertisement in the Ladies Home Journal. An educator and humanitarian named Moina Michael read In Flanders Field and was so moved by the poem that she penned her response –
We Shall Keep the Faith.
Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet – to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
In Flanders Fields we fought
— “We Shall Keep the Faith” by Moina Michael
Miss Michael then had the idea to begin wearing poppies in remembrance of fallen soldiers. Soon she was selling poppies to friends and co-workers. She would give the money to disabled veterans, widows, and orphans. The tradition spread to other countries.
In 1922 the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars (VFW), became the first veterans organization to nationally sell poppies.
I remember when we would buy poppies that were made by disabled veterans. Wish we could now.
Each year Restland Memorial Park has a Memorial Day observance.
The display of flags at the corner of Walnut and Greenville Avenue always moves me. The fact that each year there are more flags is sad. There is a flag to represent each soldier who has paid the ultimate sacrifice serving America in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn. This year there are more than 6,640 flags.
For the first time, yarn bombers contributed to the display by covering the trees in patriotic yarn.
Remember.
Blessings to you and yours,
As you know, the blog does not always post on the correct day. Usually you can go to Lanabird.com, and it will be there. Since the Memorial Day blog is “time sensitive”, I am sending it out on Sunday.
On Monday, May 27, there will special events at Restland Cemetery – military displays, a children’s parade, and speakers. The activities begin at 10:00 A.M. and end at 3:00 P.M.
Sources:
http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/flanders.htm
http://www.restlandfuneralhome.com/location/about/special_events/memorial_2013.html