Every year, on the final Monday in the month of May, America recognizes the fallen heroes of military service with Memorial Day. In a country where freedom is the prime element in everything we do, those who have fought and served and died in the name of that freedom have had this day of recognition since the conclusion of the American Civil War in 1865.
Veteran cemeteries and memorials receive the highest number of observers and visitors on this day than any other day of the year. Family members, historians, living veterans, and honored observers walk through the memorial cemeteries in gratitude to the selfless service of these fallen men and women.
The free will to fight is still this country’s backbone to leadership and worldly freedoms, and those who have honored their country with the ultimate sacrifice are buried with honor in cemeteries that reflect their service.
The American flags that are more popularly flown than ever since the fateful eleventh day of September, fly at half staff from dawn until noon when they are raised to their full standing with pride. Volunteers visit the National Cemetery and carefully place the American flags on each individual grave.
Memorial Day plays hosts to family picnics, special events, and of course parades to commemorate our war heroes, living and dead. Memorial Day is also considered the unofficial commencement of summertime activities and pools and beaches throughout the nation’s cooler climates open up for the first time since Labor Day, or the end of September.
Christian Church services often provide a service, typically the Sunday prior to Memorial Day, to honor those who have passed both in their country’s service and in the previous twelve months as an honorable recognition to those they left behind. Progressive church services often rally protests against war and offer peaceful solutions and approach lawmakers about the possible effects of peaceful advancement rather than violent referendum, depending on the congregation’s overall belief system.
Some families choose to honor all those whom have died, regardless of their history of servitude, such as grandparents, friends, neighbors, and distant relatives. There is a subtle but definite shift in American attitudes that base their Memorial Day behavior more toward honor and remembrance than toward summer fun activities. This has been an especially noticeable change since the 911 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Some people honor the fallen heroes of the 911 flights that nearly crippled the nation. They visit the sites that are now the official memorials for the victims of this horrible tragedy.
In a time when the United States is at war with a remarkably low approval rating of the handling of that war, Memorial Day is a day when those with loved ones overseas often protest, or even mourn, the current war. Unlike the Vietnam War, where the dissention about the war spread to the veterans, the current dissention has created a heavier sorrow for those off fighting and those who have given their lives. The anger and resentment is appropriately directed at the government rather than individuals.
At three in the afternoon, when a moment of silence is followed by the traditional playing of “Taps,” protestors have been known to cry in the silence, clutching photographs of their loved ones who have passed away or whom have yet to return home after their service. Several leaders of these protests have been family members of active service men and women who had finished their tour and were called back to service prior to even departing their service country. Family members had expected their loved ones to return home and instead received phone calls and e-mail explaining that they were being called back to duty and would not be home for at least another four to six months.
Memorial Day has earned a place in our present history that calls for a higher honor than perhaps in the recent past. A nation at war has been known to either pull together or fall apart. Despite the overall disapproval rating of the war, Americans have still banded together to support the young men and women who are risking their lives every day in the name of freedom and peace.