Posted on 05/27/2022 10:24:35 AM PDT by MomwithHope
Memorial Day was declared a national holiday through an act of Congress in 1971, and its roots date back to the Civil War era, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs. Unlike Veterans Day, Memorial Day honors all military members who have died in while serving in U.S. forces.
May God bless ALL who gave the last full measure!
As our nation heads into a long holiday weekend, I’d like to take some time to reflect on the meaning behind Memorial Day. First recognized nationally in May of 1868, the holiday previously known as Decoration Day grew out of local tributes in the 1860s to those who died during the Civil War. Eventually the holiday became a day to honor all those who died in America’s wars and became a national holiday in 1971.
Parade Magazine writer Tamra Bolton said this about Memorial Day: “This is the day we pay homage to all those who didn’t come home. This is not Veterans Day, it’s not a celebration, it is a day of solemn contemplation over the cost of freedom.” I concur, and encourage all of you to think about what freedom means to you the true meaning of service.
While this is a very meaningful day in our AFCEA community, Memorial Day also marks the unofficial start of summer. However you choose to observe this holiday, I hope all of you are also able to take some time to relax and recharge with loved ones while still remembering our fallen heroes so we are at our best as we take on our mission of national security.
--Lt. Gen. S. S. Lawrence, USA (Ret.)
Let's all remember this Memorial Day those (and their loved ones) who paid the ultimate price for our freedom!
Let's not forget their sacrifice, nor shirk from our oaths to defend the Constitution from ALL enemies, foreign and domestic.
Albert Lawton Wiley was my grandmother's cousin. He was killed in action in the Meuse-Argonne Campaign about two weeks before the armistace. He rests in the quiet, rural Union Cemetery outside Sparta, Illinois.
Hand salute!
Given the current state of our Republic, I would tender the following thought -
At the conclusion of the Memorial Day ceremonies, with the flag at half-mast, do the following:
retire the flag, turn it upside down, and return it to half-mast to illuminate the Communists in D.C. and their effect on our nation. And leave it that way until we see LAWFUL elections nation-wide.
An 18 year old hero. God bless!
my prayers and respect for all the Gold Star Families
BTT for the fallen.
Bump.
Nice tribute to your Uncle. :)
*BUMP*
It makes me kind of sad this year. If our country does get to a place where soldiers are no longer lost during wars, Memorial Day will have less and less people each year who remember their fallen, including ancestors.
and to my mother who raised 4 kids on her own.
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