Millions of Americans enjoyed a relaxing weekend to close out the school year, taking trips, enjoying barbecues, opening up community pools, or simply sharing drinks with family and friends. But this long holiday weekend also contained one of our nation’s most sacred and solemn memories, one that must never be forgotten.
Memorial Day is not just a hungover Monday after the first long weekend of summer – it is an official day of recognition, pause, and reflection, as well as honoring the sacrifices and memories of those who made the greatest sacrifice to give us many of our freedoms as Americans.
Our nation’s first Memorial Day was on April 25, 1866, when Confederate war widows organized memorials in Columbus, Georgia, and Columbus, Mississippi. The two Southern cities still dispute which memorial came first, but either way, the “losing side” of the Civil War started the practice.
Our Union side established a national day of mourning, which later became known as Decoration Day. It wasn’t until 1968 that Congress officially changed Memorial Day and four other national holidays from their traditional days of remembrance to the four calendared Mondays. Memorial Day falls on the last Monday in May, marking the beginning of summer.
Armed Forces Week begins on the second Saturday in May, while Armed Forces Day is officially the third Saturday and celebrates all active duty members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Space Force and associated special forces. May is also officially Military Appreciation Month.
In the confusion, these patriotic and sacred holidays of remembrance have lost some of their focus. Memorial Day weekend has become known more for barbecue and beer than a moment of remembrance and reflection.
Parliament passed the National Memorial Bill In 2000, he called on all Americans to pause and reflect at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day. Federal law also requires that all flags be flown at half-staff from dawn until just after 3 p.m. Along with a moment of silence, this seems like a very small price to pay as we mourn the many lives lost along with our families.
Also consider visiting a veterans memorial or cemetery to highlight the importance of this holiday. Here in Georgia, there are many parks, memorials and cemeteries dedicated to veterans. Perhaps none are more visually impactful than Andersonville National Historic Site in southwest Georgia, where 13,000 mostly Union prisoners of war died during the Civil War. Most of the 515-acre park and memorial is lined with thousands of small, nameless crosses and graves. Modern-day veterans continue to be buried here with honors.
More recently, the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association Foundation produced a documentary that tells the enduring legacy of the Vietnam War and the stories of survivors of that era and conflict. Unlike most veterans before and after the war, these veterans faced off against an American public that was in many ways hostile. These stories and more are shared in a fascinating documentary available on YouTube called “Vietnam War Truth and Myth.”
So enjoy this long weekend with your friends and family, but take a solemn moment for this cause of recognition and remembrance by observing a moment of silence, attending a memorial service, visiting a memorial or cemetery, or simply savoring a film or documentary that pays tribute to those who gave everything for our freedom and liberty.
