Memorial Day should not be about barbecues, the start of summer, wearing white, or sales.
Memorial Day is intended to honor our sacred dead. Over the past week I heard least a dozen people say “Happy Memorial Day.” That butchers the point.
On May 5, 1868, General John Logan, national commander of the Grand
Army of the Republic, promulgated General Order No. 11, which was the
first official promulgation of Memorial Day. General Order No. 11 provided
that flowers would be placed on the graves of Union and Confederate
soldiers on May 30, 1868. (Order No. 11 is below.) In the Order, General
Logan reflected he hoped it would become an annual tradition, and it did.
With World War I, that tradition expanded to include all war dead; eventually it became a recognized holiday. All too soon, it became commercialized.
General Logan's Order stated, "Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify
to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people
the cost of a free and undivided republic." Indeed.
That Memorial Day will ever entirely recover its nature is a hopeless cause - the commercialization and habits of generations have undermined it too much. That is why my daughter Leah and I created Patriot Week - with hope of establishing a new civic calendar to renew the spirit of America.
Still, it is worth the effort to embrace the spirit of Memorial Day. Its fine to do the barbecue and wear white (I prefer Red White & Blue), so long as your heart is in the right place, and you impress upon your family that we are free only because of the sacrifices of generations of Americans.
Remember the cause of freedom, and ACT. Do something to ensure our liberty. Make sure you vote; express your views; learn about the issues of the day; petition the government; protest; counter-protest. Don't just sit there. ACT. Freedom is a precious blessing, and its slipping away. ACT.
Remember the cause of freedom, and ACT. Do something to ensure our liberty. Make sure you vote; express your views; learn about the issues of the day; petition the government; protest; counter-protest. Don't just sit there. ACT. Freedom is a precious blessing, and its slipping away. ACT.
God bless you, the sacred dead, and America.
Very truly yours,
Hon. Michael Warren
