Memorial Day MEMORIAL DAY, Remembering Our Fallen Heroes

Cooking With Carlo ^ | May 23 2003 | Carlo3b

[carlo3b]

Memorial Day

Remembering Our Fallen Heroes

A Brief History of Memorial Day Decoration Day The morning of May 5, 1865. The war weary townspeople of Waterloo, New York, continued the recent Sunday ritual of placing flowers, wreaths, and crosses on the graves of their fallen soldiers in their local cemetery. Much the same was happening throughout the country, in both the Northern and Southern states, as Americans slowly healed the wounds that ravaged our young nation during the Great Civil War. That same day, Henry C. Welles, a druggist in the village of Waterloo, suggested at a social gathering that a more organized and official honor should be shown to the patriotic dead of the Civil War. That idea was embraced by those in attendance, and from there a movement began to take shape. On May 5, 1866, additional civic societies joined the procession to the three existing cemeteries and were led by veterans marching to martial music. At each cemetery there were impressive and lengthy services including speeches by General Murray and a local clergyman. The ceremonies were repeated again on May 5, 1867. The following year, Retired Major General Jonathan A. Logan planned another ceremony, this time for the soldiers who survived the war. He led the veterans through town to the cemetery to decorate their comrades' graves with flags. This group was generally referred to as the "Old Guard." It was not a happy celebration, it was a memorial. The townspeople called it Decoration Day. During that memorial ceremony, the General delivered the following proclamation excerpt; Memorial Day Retired Major General Loan's proclamation; "The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country and during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit." There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves even before the end of the Civil War. A hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet, carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). At the first official memorial, flowers were placed on the graves of both the Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

Poppy Day In 1915, inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields," Moina Michael (the mother of the Poppy) replied with her own poem: We cherish too, the Poppy red That grows on fields where valor led, It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies. She then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial Day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one and sell poppies to her friends and co-workers, the money going to benefit servicemen in need. Later, Madam Guerin from France was visiting the United States and learned of this new custom started by Ms. Michael, and when she returned to France, she also made artificial red poppies to raise money for war orphaned children and widowed women. This tradition spread to other countries. In 1921, the Franco-American Children's League sold poppies nationally to benefit the war orphans of France and Belgium. The League disbanded a year later and Madam Guerin approached the VFW for help. Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW became the first veterans' organization to nationally sell poppies. Two years later, their "Buddy" Poppy program was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans. In 1948 the US Post Office honored Ms. Michael for her role in founding the National Poppy movement by issuing a red 3-cent postage stamp with her likeness on it. Since the late 50's, on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry have placed a small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. The first state to officially recognize Memorial Day as a holiday was New York, in 1873. By 1890, it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May, an official declaration passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act. Several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee. While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings.

[carlo3b]

Battle Hymn of the Republic

The song was written to be a camp-meeting hymn "Oh brothers, will you meet us on Canaan's happy shore?"
It became "John Brown's Body". Then in 1861 Julia Ward Howe wife of a government official, wrote a poem for Atlantic Monthly for which she recieved, five dollars. The magazine called it, Battle Hymn of the Republic. The music is said to be by William Steffe, but no one really knows...

Mine eyes have seen the glory
Of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage
Where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning
Of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.

Chorus
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watchfires
Of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar
In the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence
By the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.

Chorus

I have read a fiery gospel writ
In burnished rows of steel:
"As ye deal with My contemners,
So with you My grace shall deal":
Let the Hero born of woman
Crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.

Chorus

He has sounded forth the trumpet
That shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men
Before His judgement seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him;
Be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.

Chorus

In the beauty of the lilies
Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom
That transfigures you and me;
As He died to make men holy,
Let us die to make men free;
While God is marching on.

Chorus
 
 

[Victoria Delsoul]

Actually, Buchanan has said quite a few logical things in his career.

Just a few, hehehe.

[Alberta's Child]

There's always this gem from the 1992 campaign:

"The United States is asking for trouble if it elects a guy from Arkansas whose only background in foreign policy is as a frequent customer at the International House of Pancakes."

[Victoria Delsoul]

LOL! yep, he had some funny ones.

I'm going to turn the computer off because it's giving me troubles.

Cya tomorrow.

[Alberta's Child]

So long --- See you tomorrow.

Good luck with the 'puter!

[Pompah]

They shall not grow old

As we who are left grow old.

Age shall not weary them,

Nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun

And in the morning

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Laurence Binyon ( 1869-1943 )

Pax-Aye

Pompah

[jellybean]

[itsLUCKY2B]

What do I see when I stop to buy a Red Poppy from an old man?

The dogs of war were howling while battles raged in foreign lands
far across the sea from America. But that meant nothing to a 19
year old kid from Red Hook, Brooklyn. That young man was my
Dad. Like so many others in the USA, that was a European war.
People read about those events in the newspapers or heard news
reports on the radio. But it wasn't Our war. But one calm December
Sunday morning all was quiet, when a sneak attack changed all
that on the Date that will Live in Infamy. Japanese treachery
awakened a sleeping giant...a giant more ferocious than they
could ever imagine. Now they forced Us into war to keep America
free. We had to build an army fast to combat oppression and
tyranny. Who would stand up and be counted? Well, my Dad was
there with thousands and thousands of other American kids. They
lined up to put their lives in harms way. These weren't sunshine
Patriots who hid from the enemy. They faced the enemy of
righteousness, eyeball to eyeball all over the world. These are
those men I see. These are the boys of Pointe duHoc, Guadalcanal
and Sicily, of Bougainville and Kaserine and the beaches of
Normandy from the Battle of the Atlantic to the Battle of the Coral
Sea. They fought and many, many died, because our Nation
called. These are those men, I see? Where are those dashing
young GIs who paid dearly for victory? They're all around us, they
are our Fathers, Brothers, and Uncles. These are those men I see.
We should learn well the terrible lesson they taught us, that
Freedom Isn't Free. Who learned that lesson the hard way? These
are those men I see. They are selling those red poppies. Each day
we enjoy the fruits of their labor, with peace and prosperity in the
land of the free... America. Give thanks to God, and then who else?
Thank these men you see. I miss you every day Dad... Thank you.
Rest in peace.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Arlington National Cemetary - where valor proudly sleeps

The still-smoldering Pentagon is in the background while a funeral takes place at Arlington National Cemetery Courtesy of Katrina Garland Funeral Photography & Video - 2002

[R. Scott]

Check out Memorial Day

[MeekOneGOP]

[Mare]

In memory of:

my Uncle Buzz, Boyd Culver, one of Merrill's Mauraders

my Uncle Bud, Albert Spencer, a POW at Stalag 17

my uncles:
Harry Spencer, Paratrooper WWII
Jack Spencer, Navy WWII

God Bless all our veterans, past, present, and future.
...and God Bless America!!!

[MinuteGal]

I hope everyone clicks the link provided in reply # 110 above. It's very moving. Thanks for posting it, R. Scott.

The fallen heroes in all our country's wars will live on in memory and prayers.

Leni

[Grand Old Partisan]

Remember that Memorial Day was created by Union Army General John Logan, Commander of the Grand Army of the Republican (the Union veterans group) and the 1884 Republican vice presidential candidate. In 1884, the GOP still remembered that Republicans fought for the U. S. Governemnt while most Democrats fought for the Confederacy.

[Alamo-Girl]

Volley bump with hugs!!!

[thasea]

In memory of my Uncle Tom-U.S. Army and my grandfather-U.S. Air Force and Van-U.S. Air Force
For my dad-U.S. Navy and for my Uncle Ed-U.S. Marine Corp

Thank you and thank you to all our military forces.

[maestro]

Amen and Amen!!!!.......................Great post and pictures!,.......thank you!!

Also, another 'M' thread.....http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/916494/posts?page=12#12

Be Safe!
m

[christie]

bump

[christie]

Remembering those who've lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq. And bless all our troops!

Memorial Day

The Clinton Legacy Cookbook

[redrock]

Memorial Day BUMP!!!!

redrock