Post by Sheila on May 25, 2024 8:31:56 GMT -5
Memorial Day is not just a chance for people to have a long weekend off from work or school. It's not about hoping there's nice weather to have a cook-out or to go on a family outing. Although there's not a problem with doing these things, the actual holiday is all about the men and women who died while serving in the United States military. While this includes everyone who died while in the service, it especially applies to those who were killed in action or who later died of wounds received while involved in any aspect of a war. Also included are the men and women who had been listed as missing in action and were later declared dead. So take some time to remember our honored dead at some point on Memorial Day.
The holiday actually began as Decoration Day. There are many disagreements about who suggested the day and where the first observation occurred; however, most historians seem to agree that 1863 was the first year. As more people began decorating military grave sites and memorials, May 30 became the official day on which to do so. In 1971, Congress set forth the last Monday of May as Memorial Day. People still decorated the graves of the fallen and other military veterans. Most cities and towns added more to the observation of the day by holding parades followed by gatherings at the local war memorials. At these gatherings, people make speeches about honoring the dead, someone will lay a wreath at the memorial, and then someone usually reads the names of all the people from that town who lost their lives during military service. A band will play the National Anthem, the honor guard will give the three-volley salute, and then a lone bugler will play taps.
As patriotism wanes in the U.S., many people seem to have forgotten what all the symbolism means. Here are a few of the explanations:
- The United States flag flown at half staff. The flag can be flown at half-staff at any time of the year and is done to honor the death of a government official, military personnel, or in response to a national tragedy. Then the flag may remain at half-staff for up to thirty days. On Memorial Day, the flag is flown at half-staff to honor the military dead as mentioned earlier. However, the flag is only at half-staff from sunrise until noon when it is then raised to full-staff and flown there until sunset. The time of half-staff honors those who died and the time at full-staff honors those service members who are still alive.
- Gun salute. This is not what people refer to as the 21-gun salute, which is reserved for the death of a President, former President, or President-elect. The gun salute on Memorial Day is known as the three-volley salute. This salute is fired by a three to seven gunners (always an odd number) who fire their rifles three times. This appears to be a reflection of an old Roman custom. At the end of a battle, the Romans would send out people to clear the dead from the field of battle. If the person removing a slain soldier knew that soldier's name, he would call out the name three times as a way of remembering the slain man's sacrifice. Later, the U.S. military adopted the three volley salute as a way to signal the end of the funeral and burial and announce the detail was ready for battle.
- Taps. Almost everyone has heard Taps being played at one time or another. Taps was a bugle call originally used by the U.S. Army to signal for "lights out" at the end of the military day. The first mention of the mandatory playing of Taps for military funerals appears in the U.S. Army Infantry Drill Regulations for 1891, although it was probably used before that time. Instead of indicating the end of the military day, this playing of Taps indicated the end of a person's military service if they died in the service. Today, many Memorial Day ceremonies end with what is called Echo Taps, which is Taps being played by one bugler and then another bugler echoing the first. Note: Echo Taps is not authorized for use and is not accepted as correct by the U.S. military. This form of playing isn't, or at least never should be, performed at a military funeral.
So what if you don't have any talent or any way to be directly involved in a Memorial Day service? What can you do to honor our military dead?
- Fly the American flag. If possible, hang a large flag outside your home. An alternative would be placing some of the small flags in your yard. You can also add flags for the various branches of the service and the MIA/POW flag.
- Decorate your home with anything red, white, and blue.
- Relay a story. If someone in your family ever died during their military service, tell their story to anyone who will listen. This will remind everyone about the person and the reason we observe Memorial Day.
- Place a flag on a grave. While some cemeteries allow decorations around a grave all year, many don't. If you buy some of the small flags on sticks, they can be placed at most cemeteries from a few days before Memorial Day to at least a few days after. When placing the flag, it should be stuck into the ground one foot from the front of and centered on the marker.
- Leave a coin at a grave. This can be done at any time of the year. Leaving a coin let's the veteran's family know that someone came by to pay their respects. If you visit a cemetery on Memorial Day, take a pocketful of change with you. Here are what the various coins mean. A penny means someone visited the grave; a nickle means the visitor went to boot camp with the deceased; a dime means the visitor served with the deceased at some point during their service; and a quarter means the visitor was with the deceased at the time they were killed in action.
- Observe a moment of silence. This may include saying a thank you to the men and women who died.
Copyright © 2024 by Sheila Rae Myers
The holiday actually began as Decoration Day. There are many disagreements about who suggested the day and where the first observation occurred; however, most historians seem to agree that 1863 was the first year. As more people began decorating military grave sites and memorials, May 30 became the official day on which to do so. In 1971, Congress set forth the last Monday of May as Memorial Day. People still decorated the graves of the fallen and other military veterans. Most cities and towns added more to the observation of the day by holding parades followed by gatherings at the local war memorials. At these gatherings, people make speeches about honoring the dead, someone will lay a wreath at the memorial, and then someone usually reads the names of all the people from that town who lost their lives during military service. A band will play the National Anthem, the honor guard will give the three-volley salute, and then a lone bugler will play taps.
As patriotism wanes in the U.S., many people seem to have forgotten what all the symbolism means. Here are a few of the explanations:
- The United States flag flown at half staff. The flag can be flown at half-staff at any time of the year and is done to honor the death of a government official, military personnel, or in response to a national tragedy. Then the flag may remain at half-staff for up to thirty days. On Memorial Day, the flag is flown at half-staff to honor the military dead as mentioned earlier. However, the flag is only at half-staff from sunrise until noon when it is then raised to full-staff and flown there until sunset. The time of half-staff honors those who died and the time at full-staff honors those service members who are still alive.
- Gun salute. This is not what people refer to as the 21-gun salute, which is reserved for the death of a President, former President, or President-elect. The gun salute on Memorial Day is known as the three-volley salute. This salute is fired by a three to seven gunners (always an odd number) who fire their rifles three times. This appears to be a reflection of an old Roman custom. At the end of a battle, the Romans would send out people to clear the dead from the field of battle. If the person removing a slain soldier knew that soldier's name, he would call out the name three times as a way of remembering the slain man's sacrifice. Later, the U.S. military adopted the three volley salute as a way to signal the end of the funeral and burial and announce the detail was ready for battle.
- Taps. Almost everyone has heard Taps being played at one time or another. Taps was a bugle call originally used by the U.S. Army to signal for "lights out" at the end of the military day. The first mention of the mandatory playing of Taps for military funerals appears in the U.S. Army Infantry Drill Regulations for 1891, although it was probably used before that time. Instead of indicating the end of the military day, this playing of Taps indicated the end of a person's military service if they died in the service. Today, many Memorial Day ceremonies end with what is called Echo Taps, which is Taps being played by one bugler and then another bugler echoing the first. Note: Echo Taps is not authorized for use and is not accepted as correct by the U.S. military. This form of playing isn't, or at least never should be, performed at a military funeral.
So what if you don't have any talent or any way to be directly involved in a Memorial Day service? What can you do to honor our military dead?
- Fly the American flag. If possible, hang a large flag outside your home. An alternative would be placing some of the small flags in your yard. You can also add flags for the various branches of the service and the MIA/POW flag.
- Decorate your home with anything red, white, and blue.
- Relay a story. If someone in your family ever died during their military service, tell their story to anyone who will listen. This will remind everyone about the person and the reason we observe Memorial Day.
- Place a flag on a grave. While some cemeteries allow decorations around a grave all year, many don't. If you buy some of the small flags on sticks, they can be placed at most cemeteries from a few days before Memorial Day to at least a few days after. When placing the flag, it should be stuck into the ground one foot from the front of and centered on the marker.
- Leave a coin at a grave. This can be done at any time of the year. Leaving a coin let's the veteran's family know that someone came by to pay their respects. If you visit a cemetery on Memorial Day, take a pocketful of change with you. Here are what the various coins mean. A penny means someone visited the grave; a nickle means the visitor went to boot camp with the deceased; a dime means the visitor served with the deceased at some point during their service; and a quarter means the visitor was with the deceased at the time they were killed in action.
- Observe a moment of silence. This may include saying a thank you to the men and women who died.
On Memorial Day, thanks can be given to any veteran who is recognized by the uniform or other apparel they're wearing. But don't be surprised if they tell you "Don't thank me, thank them" as they point toward a war memorial or grave marker. The day is to remember the dead and their ultimate sacrifice. Take time to do so before you go have your fun at your backyard cookout, picnic at the park, or whatever other events you have planned for the day.
Besides leaving any responses to the information presented in this thread, feel free to leave a note about someone you know who was killed in action, was listed as missing in action, etc.
Copyright © 2024 by Sheila Rae Myers