HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY…
But what does Memorial Day mean? For some, it means a three-day weekend, the unofficial start to summer, great sales, cookouts, warm weather, public pools opening and pulling the white clothes and shoes out of the closet (even though you CAN wear white year-round). I read a 2011 poll commissioned by the National WWII Museum that showed 80% of Americans surveyed admitted to having “little” or only “some” knowledge of this holiday and what it means. As we tend to celebrate more with hot dogs, potato salad and beer on this day, which I’m not saying is a bad thing, we might also have a tendency to not teach our own children what the day was originally celebrated for, forgetting some of the traditions our own parents, grandparents and older generations practiced. I thought I’d share just a bit of why and when Memorial Day began and some easy ways we can show our appreciation for those we’ve lost while serving in the military, along with some ideas on how we can help our children keep these traditions.
A SHORT HISTORY LESSON
FIRST MEMORIAL DAY CELEBRATED 145 YEARS AGO…
1868-
Memorial Day was actually originally called Decoration Day. Decoration Day was declared on May 5th, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of The Republic, a Union veterans group and first celebrated on May 30, 1868. General Logan proclaimed it a day to be “for the purpose of stewing 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 every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land.” The first observation occurred at Arlington National Cemetery when the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers were decorated with flowers and thousands said prayers and sang hymns.
*According to some, this practice of decorating graves actually began in 1863 in the Vicksburg, Mississippi Cemetery when Sue Landon Vaughn, a descendent of President John Adams, gathered a group of women and placed flowers on the graves of soldiers buried there. But there are many cities who claim they were the first to do this. I’m thinking, women, along with their children, regardless of where they lived, were placing flowers on the graves of the men in their families they lost to war.
1882-
The name Memorial Day was first issued in 1882.
1967-
The year Memorial Day was declared the official name by Federal law.
1968-
In 1968 the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill was passed which standardized the date Memorial Day to the last Monday in May.
1971-
On January 1. 1971, the bill took effect, which to this day, is recognized with Memorial Day being celebrated every year on the last Monday in May.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEMORIAL DAY AND VETERAN’S DAY?
photo credit: Official U.S. Navy Imagery via photopin cc
A lot of people get confused as to the difference, if any, there is in these two holidays.
- Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women military personnel who died in the service of their country, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle. WHILE being in service when they died being the key word.
- Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, living OR dead. It’s set aside to thank and honor all those who served honorably in the military, whether it be wartime or peacetime.
Ok, so we know the when and why, which younger children may not be able to understand the full extent of, but it’s important to teach them our military heroes deserve respect, as they gave their lives while protecting our country.
Here’s some examples of how you can honor those we’ve lost, which are easy to do, especially with our kids, keeping traditions strong.
HONORING…
- It’s easy to make a flag with construction paper and then staple it to a straw so your child has his/her own flag to wave. As you work on this craft, you can talk to your child about a relative or friend who died while in service. Or just how brave men and women thought it important to protect us and died while doing so. This conversation can be tailored to the age of your child and how much they understand about death.
- Wear red, white and blue.
- Participate in community events.
- Display the flag.
- Decorate graves with flowers or flags of someone you know, whether it be a family or friend who died while serving in the military. Here’s a list of our countries national cemeteries which you could visit while helping our kids understand some people die bravely while protecting our country.
- Visit a website with a list of our fallen soldiers.
- Let your child help you decorate cookies or cupcakes with red/white & blue sprinkles or icing and visit a local veterans hospital.
- Send a care package or card to a soldier, honoring those living heroes to www.AnySoldier.com
- If you know a veteran, invite them over.
TRADITIONS YOU CAN TEACH AND PRACTICE –
THE FLAG…
- On Memorial Day, in traditional remembrance, the flag of the United States is raised quickly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains till noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day.
Even if you don’t have a flagpole, you can fly a flag and explain the tradition of the raising and lowering of it. The half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon, their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue to fight for liberty and justice for all.
An easy way to teach your child how to fold and fly a flag: www.usflag.org/foldflag.html
PARADES…
If you visit a parade, show your child how, when the flag goes by, you place your hand over your heart. When veterans march by, clap.
SONGS…
A simple way to honor our fallen can be as easy as singing a patriotic song. If you yourself have forgotten the words t songs like “America The Beautiful”, “Star Spangled Banner”, or “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, you can find them at www.usa-flag-site.org/songs.shtml
I learned a few things while researching this article and found some great sites, which I’ve mentioned. You know your child, their age, and what they can comprehend. By taking a few minutes, you can decide the best way to help them know the true purpose behind Memorial Day. Another great site I found is www.mymemorialday.org
Remembering those who have given their lives while protecting our country and freedom doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and enjoy the day with family and friends. If nothing else, while celebrating the day, you can pause for 1 minute at 3:00 p.m. local time and think about those who have made the ultimate sacrifice with a moment of silence or prayer (National Moment of Remembrance Act.)