A True Memorial Day (as submitted to Highestwire)

Submitted by Jonathan Sherman on Wednesday, June 15, 2005 at 12:14:29 PM EST.

Have you recently spent a day of mourning and remembrance at a parade? How about at a barbeque, shopping mall, or swimming pool? Or a "one day only furniture sale"?

Chances are that if you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you probably were celebrating Memorial Day.

Sure, this Memorial Day, like others, there will be a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and the President will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

But for most Americans, Memorial Day is nothing more than the unofficial beginning of summer: A time for opening up the swimming pool, picnicking with family and friends, and attending a local parade.

These events have nothing to do with the true purpose of Memorial Day, which is to honor and remember the men and women of our armed forces, who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in protecting, defending and preserving our country and its democracy.

Why has Memorial Day lost its meaning? And, what can we do about it?

Before proposing a solution to the lessening of this holiday’s meaning, let’s look at its history.

Memorial Day was originally called "Decoration Day". It was started on May 5, 1866, in the city of Waterloo, New York. On that day, the town declared an annual holiday, during which businesses were closed, for the purpose of decorating the graves of those who had died in the Civil War.

Two years later, on May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, issued a proclamation designating May 30 "for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost in every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land". On May 30, 1868, 5,000 people decorated the graves of some 20,000 fallen Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

By the late 1800s, many communities across the nation commemorated "Decoration Day" on May 30. After World War I, the commemorations included the soldiers that fought and died in the "war to end all wars".

Then, in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, New York as the official birthplace of "Memorial Day". Unfortunately, a few other communities claimed that President Johnson was mistaken and contended that the honor should go to them. These other communities include Columbus, Mississippi; Macon, Georgia; Richmond, Virginia; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; and Carbondale, Illinois. In addition, several southern states also celebrated a "Confederate Memorial Day" honoring those who fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy.

So it wasn't until 1971 when the United States Congress declared "Memorial Day" to be a national holiday, to be celebrated on the last Monday in May.

Ah, a three-day weekend of fun and frolic! But Memorial Day isn't the only national holiday not taken too seriously by the majority of Americans.

The end of World War I also resulted in a similar holiday called Armistice Day. World War I ended on November 11, 1918 at 11:00 A.M. In 1926, the United States Congress officially declared "Armistice Day" to be a national holiday to take place each Nov. 11. Incredibly, Armistice Day was declared a national holiday 45 years before Memorial Day was declared a national holiday.

On June 1, 1954, the name of "Armistice Day" was changed to "Veterans Day". In 1968, Congress passed new legislation changing the commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. In other words, the historical significance of Nov. 11 was completely lost. As a result, in 1978 Congress came to its senses and returned the holiday to its rightful day of Nov. 11.

The distinction between Memorial Day and Veterans Day is often unknown, lost, or confused. Today’s stated purpose of Memorial Day is to honor those who have fallen in battle in all wars. The purpose of Veterans Day is to honor all Veterans, dead or alive.

Isn’t it ridiculous to have a separate holiday for those who died and those who survived?

When the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was proposed, some opponents claimed that we have too many holidays already.

Well, I have a solution. There should be one holiday called "Memorial Day" (which should include "Veteran's Day"), and that holiday should be commemorated on July 3, not May 30, or Nov. 11.

That’s right, July 3, one day before our Independence Day.

Memorial Day is a day of bereavement and remembrance of those who have sacrificed -- the dead, the wounded, and the survivors -- to make us a free and independent nation. As such, Memorial Day should be directly connected to Independence Day. On July 3, we should remember the service men and women of our nation, and, on July 4, we should joyously celebrate their efforts and sacrifices to make and keep us free.

On July 4, we should celebrate at parades, picnics, swimming pools, barbeques, competitions and any other activities we enjoy. And, of course, what would Independence Day be without some fireworks! But, on July 3, a siren should sound across our nation at an agreed upon time, at which every man, woman, and child would stop what they are doing and stand in silent contemplation for one minute in honor and memory of those who fought and died for our freedom.

Do you think it sounds silly? Just imagine in your mind's eye that 21-year-old storming the beaches of Normandy or Iwo Jima, that 18-year-old slogging through the jungles of Vietnam, or that 27-year-old guarding the alleyways and streets of Baghdad and Kabul. They deserve at least one minute of silent contemplation and an entire day of honor and remembrance.

It is time to put meaning back into this holiday and forget about our three-day weekend, no matter how much I love it. As has been said: "Freedom is not free". Let’s truly honor those who have provided it to us.

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