Lest We Forget

General John Logan

me·mo·ri·al

  [muh-mawr-ee-uhl, -mohr-]  Show IPA

noun

1.

something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event,etc., as a monument or a holiday.

2.

a written statement of facts presented to a sovereign, alegislative body, etc., as the ground of, or expressed in the formof, a petition or remonstrance.

adjective

3.

preserving the memory of a person or thing; commemorative:memorial services.

4.

of or pertaining to the memory.

Origin: 

1350–1400; Middle English  < Late Latin memoriāle,  noun use of neuterof Latin memoriālis  for or containing memoranda. See memory, -al¹

We have Armed Forces Day to honor those serving in the military. We have Veteran's Day to honor those who served and survived. I thank you for putting you lives on the line for freedom. However, it seems  some have forgotten the reason for the day off the last Monday in May.    

Originally referred to as Decoration Day, Memorial Day was a day of reconciliation and a coming together to honor fallen Civil War soldiers. In 1868, General John Logan officially proclaimed the need of a day of remembrance. It was first observed on 30 May 1868. Flowers were placed on all the Union and Confederate soldiers' graves. 

In 1873, New York state was to first recognize Memorial Day. By 1890 all the Northern states did. The South, however, refused to recognize it until after World War I. Until then, they chose to honor their fallen soldiers separately. After World War I, it was changed to honor all American wars. The actual birthplace of Memorial Day is considered Waterloo, New York. In May of 1966, Lyndon B. Johnson declared it a national holiday.

We cherish too the Poppy red 
That goes on fields when valor led, 
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
                             ~Moina Michael

Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country

On January 19, 1999 Senator Inouye introduced bill S 189 to the Senate which proposes to restore the traditional day of observance of Memorial Day back to May 30th instead of "the last Monday in May". On April 19, 1999 Representative Gibbons introduced the bill to the House (H.R. 1474). The bills were referred the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Government Reform. To this day, the bill has not been past.

In December 2000, our nation was asked that on Memorial Day, at 3:00 PM, a National Moment of Remembrance be observed in silence or listening to Taps. 

I've been lucky. Not one member of my family who was in the military perished in battle but, I will spend my day, remembering yours.

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http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

Gather around to see the world in living color!

Up until the late sixties, everything outside of our world was black and white. Or so we were lead to believe when we gathered around the family television set. I Love Lucy, Gunsmoke, Flipper and The Ed Sullivan Show. Walter Cronkite gave us the news of Vietnam in black and white. On Sunday nights we watched Wagon Train and The Wonderful World of Disney. Then it happened...color.

Grandma and Grandpa had the first colored set in our family. I remember the first time I ever saw the NBC peacock in color! Wow! We had been told by both parents and grandparents that if we napped during the day, we could stay late that first Sunday evening to watch Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. Mr. Disney explained how they would have the same great programming but in color. He then turned the program over to Professor Ludwig Von Drake. 

Each year, when the income tax came, my parents bought a large, expensive item. It was our family tradition.  It might be a refrigerator, stove, or washer. You get the idea. The year came when the return was used for a 19" portable colored television.

Back when color was new, everyone seemed to be an expert on adjusting the color. The rule of thumb was to adjust the red on the picture, never on a person's face. It was a Sunday afternoon when dad decided the color was just not right. After several minutes, he announced, "There, the color is perfect!". He was right, the grass on the golf tournament was a perfect emerald green. I have often since wondered, "Is the sky really that color purple in Florida?"