Memorial Day: A Season of Remembrance

Why We Remember

Memorial Day  is all about remembering those who served in our nation’s history, giving the ultimate sacrifice to our country. This holiday specifically remembers those who have fallen while representing the U.S. military, and is a somber day dedicated to honoring and remembering.

Most people celebrate Memorial Day through family get-togethers, BBQs, and luncheons. While some take time to gather at local Memorial Day ceremonies in the morning, others plan picnics for the afternoon for families to get together and remember those in their family who have served. Some forego the holiday altogether, and view it as a “day off”, as they may have a day off of school or work, or it may not affect them at all without any connection to any service member. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to celebrate and remember Memorial Day, but in this week’s article, I challenge you to take a moment and remember those who have served, even if it doesn’t affect you directly.

The idea behind Memorial Day stems all the way back to 1868, when the day was established to decorate Civil War graves. It wasn’t an official holiday until 1971, and was moved to the last Monday in May. Originally, it was created to honor Civil War veterans, but later was expanded to include World War I and World War II. Today, Memorial Day ceremonies include all wars and conflicts, leading up to today. The original idea was to honor fallen veterans by decorating their graves with flowers, wreaths, flags, and engraved stars, and eventually turned into this exact idea, but with a ceremony and “taps” added to it. “Taps” is a very specific song composed of a 24-note bugle call played to honor fallen military members. Each ceremony has a bugle or trumpet player play Taps as a tribute to all fallen service members. Usually, it is a member of the band that also plays for the service.

The idea behind a ceremony was a way that all service members and their families could come together and remember, giving families and service members’ loved ones a sense of community, belonging, and remembrance. Everyone wants to be remembered, both the service members and their families, and a ceremony is the perfect way to celebrate them both.

Ceremonies have evolved over time to include slideshows with patriotic music and bands playing national and well-known patriotic songs. Slides include the names of all the fallen soldiers and those who have served in each war or conflict, and have increasingly expanded each year. A speaker is chosen to speak on what Memorial Day and serving our country means to them, while members of the VFW and American Legion go through the flag ceremony. In 2000, another ceremony was added. A law was passed to have all Americans pause at 3:00pm local time for a minute of silence to remember and honor the fallen. The National Moment of Remembrance also includes “Taps” being played at this time, and is now called “Taps Across America” where trumpet players and musicians alike play Taps from their front step, porches, or in cemeteries. This creates a united sense of remembrance, creating a community across the nation, and remembering those who served.

This is why we should remember; the fact that service members go into the service knowing and pledging to give their life to their country, so that we can have the freedoms to have a “day off” or have a BBQ with our family, remembering the sacrifices they went through so we can have the liberty of celebrating with our families, and remembering through ceremonies, is the real reason behind Memorial Day. It’s not about what to have for lunch, or to wear red, white, and blue, to but to take a minute and really think about the fallen service members and service members who are still serving and what that truly means.

It means that we can have the liberty of having a luncheon on Memorial Day, free of worry or danger, that we can go about our day without living in fear. The veterans who pledge their service to our country not only have a passion and love for what they serve, but a passion and love for who they serve. The least we can do is remember their service, thank a veteran, and truly mean it.

~Alyson Winn-Lagergren~