There is a federal holiday coming up on Monday the 25th of May. The purpose of this upcoming holiday is to give honor and gratitude to all of the men and women who have served in the U.S. military and have given their lives in service. Surely there is no greater offering.
In reading how this holiday came to exist, we were touched by the fact that it was a group of formerly enslaved people who organized one of the earliest Memorial Day commemorations less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865. As horrible as war is, we must conclude that there is such a thing as a righteous war. The Civil War brought an end to slavery in the U.S. and we are grateful.
The Civil War claimed the lives of some 620,000 soldiers. Communities were devastated by the loss of their loved ones and there were commemorations across the nation. In the years that followed the commemorations expanded, and as we know, there have been more wars and loss of life.
Decoration Day / Memorial Day
It was 1971 when Memorial Day became a federal holiday. Prior to that date the men and women who died in war were honored across the nation by communities that came together to put flowers and other decorations on the graves of their loved ones. The term “Decoration Day” was used to describe the holiday. We visited the History [LINK] website for more clarity on how this holiday came to be.
“The Civil War, which ended in the spring of 1865, claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history and required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries. By the late 1860s, Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers. It is unclear exactly where this tradition originated; numerous different communities might have independently initiated the memorial gatherings.”
The man whose activism led to a recognized day of remembrance was Major General John A. Logan. He led an organization for veterans that called for a designated day. He suggested that the 30th of May, 1868, be designated for the purpose of putting flowers on the graves of veterans across the U.S. He called the occasion Decoration Day in a nod to the tradition of decorating soldiers’ graves.
The article concludes: “Nevertheless, in 1966, the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day. Waterloo—which first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—was chosen because it hosted an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.”
The Wars
We mourn every life lost in every war, including wars that are fought for a righteous cause. The following is a list of wars in which the U.S. has engaged since the Civil War:
American Civil War: 1861–1865; Spanish–American War: 1898; World War I: 1917–1918; World War II: 1941–1945; Korean War: 1950–1953 Vietnam War: 1961–1975; Gulf War (Desert Shield/Storm): 1990–1991; War in Afghanistan: 2001–2021; Operation Iraqi Freedom: 2003–2011.
Traditions and Rituals
On Monday the 25th there will be Memorial Day parades in cities and towns across the U.S. Veteran organizations often join in these parades. There will also be visits to cemeteries and memorials, and most likely there will be people wearing a red poppy in remembrance of those fallen in war.
Finally, we sincerely thank our AMS Associates and members of their families who have served, and we offer condolences to those who have lost a loved one in service to our country. Some of our AMS Associates are currently serving in the reserves and we salute them and thank them as well. Please enjoy the weekend and join us in a heartfelt prayer for a world at peace.
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