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Memorial Day is our nation’s most patriotic holiday |
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Wednesday, 21 May 2008 |
Rev. John C. Blackford
Religion Columnist
Next Monday Americans will remember the sacrifices made by those who served in our Armed Forces and are no longer with us, and how important the past is to who we are today.
There will be backyard barbecues and parades, and many will visit a cemetery to honor departed veterans.
This annual spring tribute goes back to the aftermath of the Civil War (1861-65), when several communities claim to have initiated programs remembering the war dead.
Gen. John Logan, the first commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans, gave the fragmented observance a major boost in May, 1868 when he ordered May 30 “designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in the defense of their country during the late rebellion.”
It became known as Decoration Day, and after World War I was expanded to honor all war dead. In 1971 Congress made it a national holiday, and changed the day to the last Monday in May.
Gen. Logan went on to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate. He excelled in oratory, perhaps fitting for a day celebrated with speeches, parades and grave decorating.
Many have visited battlegrounds and other places associated with our country’s history, and have had their appreciation heightened for the sacrifices involved.
Historian Ken Burns completed a filmed documentary about World War II recently in order to inform the YouTube generation about what he described as “the defining event of the 20th century,” so that they also may understand and appreciate what has gone before.
Ken Burns says, “For me, history is the synthesis of countless stories.” (USA WEEKEND, June 29-July 1, 2007).
He believes in the importance of tapping into the memories of those who were there, relying on the strength of memory to depict our past. Because memory can be flawed and incomplete, and lend itself to exaggeration, and, in some cases, be entirely wrong, he follows the principle of, “Trust, but verify.”
World War II and Korea veterans over the intervening years have shown reluctance when asked to tell their stories of leaving home as a teenager, traveling to faraway destinations and arriving on the front line of battle.
While veterans of the wars in the Mideast are much more willing to share their stories, older ones have not been part of the “talking is healing” generation.
There are an estimated 2.9 million living World War II veterans, and over a thousand pass away daily. We are losing access to them and their stories.
Mr. Burns suggests that young people interview a grandparent or senior neighbor. In doing so they could learn what that group did during the war, and how, in their shared sacrifice, they made the country richer and safer than anyone could imagine.
Otherwise, “A new generation may discover that without knowing where we’ve been, we can’t possibly know who we are.”
As he has done for over 40 years, the writer, a World War II Navy/Marine Corps Chaplain, will return to the Chisago Lakes area, where he served as a pastor in a Lindstrom church for a quarter of a century, and take part in Memorial Day services.
Sponsoring the programs in six cemeteries will be the local American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts. (For details see the Chisago County Press).
In Forest Lake veterans organizations will lead the Memorial Day tributes. (See elsewhere in this issue for information).
The Commander-in-Chief of the national Veterans of Foreign Wars said earlier this month that “Sacrifice is meaningless without remembrance.”
Further, he declares, “Far too often, the nation as a whole takes for granted the freedoms all Americans enjoy. Those freedoms were paid for with the lives few of us actually knew.
That’s why they are all collectively remembered on one special day...By honoring the nation’s war dead, we preserve their memory and thus their service and sacrifice in the memories of future generations.”
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