Today, Memorial Day is considered the unofficial beginning of Summer, punctuated with beaches and barbeques. However, the real meaning of Memorial Day is often lost in the proliferation of shopping deals and discounted sales.
In May, 1868, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, three years after the Union victory in the Civil War, the head of an organization of Union veterans, the Grand Army of the Republic, established Decoration Day to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers.[i] Memorial Day is an American holiday. It is observed on the last Monday of May, to honor the men and women who died while serving in the US military.[ii] It is a time to remember those who died for our freedoms. It is also a time to celebrate the rights and the freedoms that we have.
According to Military.com, by 2019, however, only 55% of Americans know what Memorial Day is about.[iii] A May 26, 2023 article from gwinnettdailypost.com, discussed a survey of 2,000 Americans that revealed that only 43% knew that Memorial Day was a holiday honoring those who died in service in the US Armed Forces.
Why is this important?
Why do we need to know this?
It’s human nature to take things in life for granted. We, as Americans, sometimes take certain rights and freedoms for granted, such as right to vote and freedom of speech and religion. We presume that these rights and freedoms will always be a part of our society, until they become compromised or even taken away. We take our democracy for granted, and we believe that in 2023, our democracy is everlasting. However, that democracy was attacked to its very limits during the January 6, 2021 violence at the US Capitol.
But what has this got to do with civics?
Our rights and freedoms are preserved in part, by the men and women have who made the ultimate sacrifice, from the American Revolution, to the Civil War, World War I and II to the Korean War, to the Vietnam War, to so many other instances of US military involvement. In the Vietnam War alone, there were more than 58,000 military casualties.[iv] While there may be instances of military intervention with which some may disagree, it is the right of free speech and other rights for which our military fights, that allows for each of us to question that intervention.
https://pixabay.com/photos/thunderbirds-airplane-plane-3851187/
Where I live, recognition of the service and sacrifice of the men and women in uniform, past and present, abounds. There are air shows and displays of military machinery. Since 1984, New York has been home to Fleetweek to, as Militarynews.com reports, is a showcase for the US Military at sea. This year, the US Military was joined by three NATO allies, Great Britain, Italy, and Canada.[v] To see the helicopters flying overhead is inspiring. To say, “thank you for your service”, is the least we could do. Let us continue to acknowledge and remember the commitment and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, and their families.
Be Informed
Be Engaged
Be Involved
[i] https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate/memday.pdf
[ii] https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/memorial-day-history
[iii] https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/05/21/only-55-americans-know-why-nation-marks-memorial-day-survey-finds.html
[iv] https://www.archives.gov/research/military/vietnam-war/casualty-statistics#:~:text=April%2029%2C%202008.-,The%20Vietnam%20Conflict%20Extract%20Data%20File%20of%20the%20Defense%20Casualty,and%20Records%20Administration%20in%202008.