Memorial Day: An Observance Steeped In Somber History

Although it’s easy enough for many of us to think of Memorial Day as the unofficial start of summer, or at least the beginning of barbecue season, those with military experience or who come from military families in Maquoketa and elsewhere, including those receiving hospice care, know it means much more.

Memorial Day is the official American holiday that commemorates those who have died in the service of our country. It’s different from Veterans Day in the fall, which honors anyone who has served in the military, past or present.

The team at Above and Beyond Home Health Care and Hospice have many veterans as clients. Some of our staff are veterans or have family members or loved ones who have served in the military over the years. Some of our clients have health conditions related to their service as well.

We appreciate the sacrifice that they have made and mourn clients and loved ones who have passed away and served in the military.

Part of our role in home health care is to help our clients achieve good quality of life. We also like hearing their memories in our conversations with them, and helping find answers to any questions they may be having.

For instance, those with military backgrounds may want to know about Memorial Day events that might be taking place in the community. There are sometimes ceremonies at local cemeteries or veterans’ organizations. Veterans Administration also owns official cemeteries in every state. If one is nearby, you can travel to check things out.

Or, for those who aren’t able to go out or if there aren’t any local events, you can often find something online or a TV to tune into. For instance, PBS often includes a program around the time of holiday that’s devoted to veterans.

Learning more

It’s also important to learn something about the holiday which officially takes place on the final Monday of May. It has also received updates and changes over the years.

According to History.com, the noted historical reference site, the holiday began in the aftermath of the Civil War and was originally called Decorating Day.

It was originally called Decoration Day as a way to honor those who fell during the war, which at that time, had the highest casualty rate of any American conflict, internal or external.  Interestingly it still has one of the highest figures which shows how bloody that war was.

The VA, which totals all the losses in combat or similar wartime activity shows that 2.21 million Union service members died. World War I saw a total of 4.73 million and World War II saw 16.1 million U.S. service members dead, Vietnam had 8.74 million and Desert Shield/Desert Storm had 2.225 million.

Over the years, a series of holiday organizers have taken the reins and come up with other changes and proclamations between getting final approval by the president and Congress to make this into an official U.S. holiday. This didn’t happen until 1971, more than a century after people began marking the occasion in May.

Historians say that the origins of Memorial Day were started by Major Gen. John A. Logan, a member of a group called Northern Civil War veterans, who decided to start observing the numbers of soldiers who had died, especially Union soldiers. He based his celebration in Washington D.C., including at the former Lee family home, now at Arlington Cemetery.

Information from that first celebration showed that General Ulysses S. Grant was a speaker, as was General James Garfield. Following Grant’s presentation, a group of children from the Soldiers Sailor Orphan Home sang while placing flowers on the graves of soldiers.

Gen. Logan said he chose spring for the event since it’s a time of renewal and is also an opportunity to see the city at its best, with blooming cherry trees.

While this event and VA.gov is generally believed to be the first and largest-scale celebration of military deaths, other groups claim they were the ones to start the annual tradition of remembering the experience.

In 1866, a group of women in Columbus, Miss., visited a cemetery near Shiloh, the site of a Civil War battle. Although they planned on decorating the graves of Confederate dead, they found these to be quite decorated. They also found that the Union graves didn’t have any flowers and were basically neglected due to their initial “enemy” status.

The flower-giving ritual continued to take place each year, decorating both sides.

Similar incidents of organized efforts to decorate graves were reported in Georgia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and more.

“What to Call It?” was the next question that many leaders faced once everyone seemed to agree on one central place and one central message, it took organizers several years and several state and national proclamations.

Eventually, an agreement was found for Memorial Day. It initially was set to be May 30, but in 1968 it was shifted to the last Monday in May, creating a 3-day weekend.