Monday, May 30, 2022
Memorial Day. A holiday established to honor those that have fallen in war. There’s a long history going back to ancient times of decorating warrior’s graves with flowers. Here in the U.S., Memorial Day was once called Decoration Day, a day when flowers were placed on the graves of the fallen. Any number of places claim to have originated the idea of a day honoring the war dead. Post Civil War, numerous places held remembrances in both the North and the South. Eventually May 30 was declared the Federal Holiday of Memorial Day. In 1971, Memorial Day was switched to the last Monday in May to make it a three-day weekend. The unofficial kick-off to summertime.
Somewhere along the line we seem to have morphed from memorializing war dead to memorializing anyone that has serves in the armed forces. They all get a flag on their grave if they served. I don’t have an issue with that. All who have served, in time of war or not, have sacrificed. Not the ultimate sacrifice as those who have fallen in combat, but they have sacrificed. That sacrifice deserves recognition. Military duty can be hazardous, even if someone isn’t shooting at you. An aircraft carrier flight deck is dangerous, in war or in peace. Four people I served with died while serving. They deserve to be memorialized, even if they didn’t die in wartime.
For Memorial Day, Lise and I walked through the Indiana Veteran’s Home cemetery. The home was initially established to care for Civil War veterans. The cemetery is the final resting place of many that have served, from the Civil War onward. Mostly men, but a few women too. Our visit was a simple gesture to pay our respects and give thanks to those that have served.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 