What is Memorial Day? It’s more than a day off work, sales and barbeques. A new poll by The National WWII Museum reveals the nation is in danger of forgetting. Eighty percent of all Americans confess to having “little” or “some” knowledge of the holiday. Just 20% claim to be “very familiar” with the day’s purpose, which is to honor those who have died while fighting the nation’s wars. In response, The National WWII Museum has unveiled a new website, www.mymemorialday.org, featuring 10 ways to honor those who have fallen while in service to the country. “The site offers ideas for all,” said National WWII Museum President and CEO Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller. “A family can visit a military site, or an individual can read a book about WWII history. It’s a way to honor, remind and remember why this day is important.” On May 30th, The National WWII Museum will commemorate Memorial Day with a series of events featuring veterans from World War II to Afghanistan who will talk about the importance of honoring those who died. Others will speak about family members they have lost in battle. At 3:00 pm, the Museum will participate in the National Moment of Remembrance.
Not everyone will spend the Memorial Day weekend consumed with backyard barbecues, beach parties and sales. Plenty of people also will take the time to honor the day’s original purpose: to remember all those who have given their lives in military service to the country. The Arlington National Cemetery will hold its Memorial Day event. The National Mall will host a concert, parade and other events. The annual Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally will honor prisoners of war and those missing in action. Individual branches of the service and many local organizations also will hold observances. But Memorial Day, created in 1865 as Decoration Day to honor those who died in the Civil War and since expanded to cover all wars, can also be observed in other ways, one of them being a virtual tour of one or more of the websites attached to the nation’s war memorials. Here are a few:
www.nps.gov/nwwm: The National Park Service’s World War II Memorial website not only commemorates WW II, it includes a link to the American Battle Monuments Commission’s World War II Registry, where you can search for names of those who died.
www.archives.gov/veterans: The National Archives and Records Administration’s Veterans’ Service Records site offers a searchable records database and genealogy tools for finding family members.
http://thewall-usa.com: The Vietnam Memorial is the most interactive of the memorial sites. It lets visitors search the Wall that makes up the monument for the names of those who died and offers an expansive list of other features including a photo gallery, literary section, Women on the Wall and a list of Medal of Honor winners. Visitors can also sign a virtual guest book and leave their comments.
www.nps.gov/kowa: NPS’ Korean War Veterans Memorial site doesn’t offer a virtual experience, but it does offer history and will help you plan a visit.
www.mapthefallen.org: For servicemen and women who have died in the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, a new application, Map the Fallen, employs present-day tools such as Google Earth to ensure they are not forgotten. The map provides links to personal histories and photos of the fallen, along with memorial websites with comments from friends and family members. The project is a collaborative effort, and is soliciting input and corrections to the map from visitors.
www.wwimemorial.org / www.theworldwar.org: If you want to honor those who died in World War I, you can visit the site of the World War I Memorial Foundation in Washington, D.C., or the National World War I Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri.
To go back to the origins of Memorial Day, there are a host of sites that mark the Civil War, from the National Civil War Memorial to National Park Services sites that commemorate major battles of the war, such as Gettysburg National Military Park or the Antietam National Battlefield.
10 Ways To Commemorate Memorial Day
To help educate all Americans on Memorial Day’s importance, the National WWII Museum is launching a number of initiatives, including a new website, www.mymemorialday.org, which offers 10 things anyone can do to share and commemorate the holiday. The Museum’s Memorial Day suggestions include:
- Thanking a veteran.
- Placing an American flag on the grave of a veteran.
- Visiting a military museum or historic military site.
- Writing a veteran and thanking them for their services to the nation.
- Organizing a community-wide observance.
- Honoring a veteran with a brick at The National WWII Museum.
- Changing their Facebook profile to an American flag.
- Writing a letter to the editor of a local newspaper to remind their community about Memorial Day’s significance.
Things You Should Know About Memorial Day History
1. Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of Union veterans – the Grand Army of the Republic – established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Major General John Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30th. The date was chosen possibly because flowers would be in bloom all over the country, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
2. The official birthplace of Memorial Day was declared in 1966, when Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, New York the “birthplace.” At the close of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30th throughout the nation. State legislatures passed proclamations designating the day.
3. Memorial Day was expanded after World War I to honor and remember those who died in all American wars. Memorial Day was declared a national holiday in 1971.
4. U.S. Congress and the president signed into law in 2000 the National Moment of Remembrance Act and created the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. The National Moment of Remembrance encourages Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence, to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation.
5. Memorial Day is also celebrated annually at the Arlington National Cemetery, where about 5,000 people attend, and place American flags on each grave.
The 101 number one song of the day was sung by a guy who quit his band to be a dentist and getting him to rejoin the group was like pulling teeth.
The group had a few hits but he was sure they’d hang it up after a few months of moderate success. His future, he was sure, was rooted in root canal. So he left the west coast to head east and pursue that career. But then one of the songs they had recorded became a top three single so the band’s leader and creative force called him up and after some persuasion got him to quit school and rejoin the group. When he did he got to sing lead on one of their biggest hits and on May 27, 1965 it was number one in America. The convincer was Brian Wilson; the convincee was Al Jardine and here’s the 101 number one song of the day – “Help Me Rhonda.”
We are so sad to hear that Payton has already passed away. We will wish for Paytons happy journey in the afterlife. A memorial page should be made just for Payton on evertalk
ReplyDeleteI like this website so much it's really awesome.I have also gone through your other posts too and they are also very much appreciate able and I'm just waiting for your next update to come as I like all your posts.
ReplyDeleteMemorial Day 2019 Images