Memorial Day
Note: Underlined words have definitions at the end of this article provided by The Basic Newbury House Dictionary. Definitions with an asterisk (*) are supplied by the author, Bill Perry.
Memorial Day is a truly patriotic holiday that occurs on May 30th, but is celebrated on the last Monday in May. It is a day to remember and honor those who died while they served in the American armed forces. It includes everyone in the military. Earlier this holiday was called Decoration Day. This holiday also is the sign of the beginning of summer.
This holiday had a slow beginning after the American Civil War (1861-1865). About 500,000 Americans died in that war [see Presidents’ Day], more than in any other US war. According to tradition, some women of the Confederate States of America (CSA, the southern states that left the Union) chose May 30th to decorate the graves of Civil War soldiers. They decorated the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers. Then in 1868 General John A. Logan declared May 30th to be a special day to honor those Union soldiers who died in the war. Logan was Commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of the Union’s Civil War veterans [see Veterans Day]. They chose “Memorial Day” as the name of the holiday. Many northern states held similar celebrations for years.
Responsibilities for Memorial Day activities later passed to the American Legion. The Legion began in Paris in 1919 after World War I. It is the largest American veteran organization, with over 3 million members. Its main purpose is helping veterans. To raise money for veterans, Legion members began selling little, red flowers called “poppies.” People bought them to wear on their clothes and to remember those who died in war. The idea came from Europe. After the war, poppies grew over many battlefields in France, showing the return of life and peace.
As a result, people called the week before Memorial Day, “Poppy Week.” They also put poppies on the graves of soldiers. The money earned from selling poppies helped veterans who were wounded in the war. Poppies are not as common today since most of the World War veterans have died and people forgot the meaning of the flowers. Today veterans’ organizations raise money in other ways.
In 1971 Congress created a law that made Memorial Day a national holiday. It is celebrated on the last Monday of May all across the US, making another three-day weekend. It first honored those who died in the Civil War, Spanish-American War (1898), World Wars I (1917-18) and II (1941-45), the Korean War (1950-53). It now includes those who died in the Vietnam War (1961-74) and the Persian Gulf War (1991).
Memorial Day celebrations include parades and special programs with speeches, the reading of Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” (a short but famous speech for those who died at the battle at Gettysburg, PA in the Civil War) [see Presidents’ Day], prayers and moments of silence. Coastal cities with a naval base often have services for sailors who died at sea. They are similar to those that honor soldiers. People will put on the water small model ships that have flowers on them. They are a memorial for those who died at sea. Americans also attend picnics and baseball games, go sightseeing or boating, play sports, cook meals outdoors, and almost any other kind of fun activity. Those who died in the military did so to protect the freedoms Americans have. Memorial Day remembers those who died for their nation.
Vocabulary
*American Legion (noun) – an organization of people, mostly war veterans who fought in wars since 1918, that supports young people and other community interests.
coastal (adjective) – near the coast, beach or shore.
decorate (verb) – to beautify, put up decorations.
*naval base (noun) – military station for sailors, fighting ships and related equipment.
*patriotic (adjective) – having or showing pride in one’s own country.
sailor (noun) – a person who works on a ship.
*Union (noun) – during the Civil War, a name Northerners used for the United States.
veteran (noun) – any person leaving the military service with a record of good behavior.
©Bill Perry. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author.
