“For love of country, they accepted death.”
Memorial Day is a day for thanks and a day for reflection. I hope you remember those to whom we owe so much. This is my annual tribute
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, “Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping” by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication “To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead.” While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860′s tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.
Memorial Day
“Dulce et decorum est”
The bugle echoes shrill and sweet,
But not of war it sings to-day.
The road is rhythmic with the feet
Of men-at-arms who come to pray.
The roses blossom white and red
On tombs where weary soldiers lie;
Flags wave above the honored dead
And martial music cleaves the sky.
Above their wreath-strewn graves we kneel,
They kept the faith and fought the fight.
Through flying lead and crimson steel
They plunged for Freedom and the Right.
May we, their grateful children, learn
Their strength, who lie beneath this sod,
Who went through fire and death to earn
At last the accolade of God.
In shining rank on rank arrayed
They march, the legions of the Lord;
He is their Captain unafraid,
The Prince of Peace . . . Who brought a sword.
Joyce Kilmer
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
May 25, 2015 at 1:49 pm
We don’t have any memorial day here as You know. The last war weparticipated in was the Napolen wars and we were on the winning side.
The Danes however wasn’t so they lost Norway to us, something the Norwegians hadn’t counted on since they just were about to get rid of Denmark to become a nation of their own. Guess if they were surprised when the winning side said they suddenly was a part of Sweden 🙂
They had much more freedom with us than with the Danes and got a Constitution of their own and Sweden-Norway was for almost years two nations in a union. They wanted to be a nation of their own and became so in 1905 thanks to our king who didn’t want a civil war.
Happy Memorial Day!
Christer.
May 25, 2015 at 1:51 pm
almost 91 years 🙂
May 25, 2015 at 2:17 pm
Amazing!
May 25, 2015 at 2:17 pm
Christer,
I envy you your country without war. We seem to have war after war after war.
I didn’t know Norway had bee part of Sweden. Your king was enlightened to avoid war by granting independence.
Have a great evening!
May 25, 2015 at 3:23 pm
What about WWII?
May 25, 2015 at 3:40 pm
Memorial Day has morphed into a day of car races, picnics and furniture sales. Honoring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice has become a secondary thought. Although the veterans of the Vietnam war didn’t receive the welcome that they deserved it ended conscription. Last week was the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon to the Communists. Today we are allies and trading partners. Many of my co workers flew missions in Southeast Asia and hate Jane Fonda to this day. The influx of Vietnamese refugees following our defeat improved the quality of Asian food throughout the USA.
Another cloudy and rainy day. We are awaiting a line of thunderstorms moving our way from the west. We are under a tornado watch unti later tonight. Most of the area lakes are closed because the water is so high that you can’t get to the parks or boat ramps.
May 25, 2015 at 4:03 pm
Bob,
I found this, “Sweden maintained its policy of neutrality during World War II. When the war began on September 1, 1939, the fate of Sweden was unclear. But by a combination of its geopolitical location in the Scandinavian Peninsula, successful realpolitik manoeuvring during an unpredictable course of events, and a dedicated military build-up after 1942, Sweden managed to maintain its official neutrality throughout the war.”
May 25, 2015 at 4:10 pm
Bob,
Furniture sales? I haven’t seen any of those.
Such a cynical outlook that our defeat improved Asian food in the US.
I know that people go to cemeteries here to put flags on graves and every town has a parade and speeches. I think afterward families get together for a barbecue, and I think that is a good way to spend the day, being with your family. I think the smaller the town, the more Memorial Day is recognized for its meaning.
May 25, 2015 at 5:55 pm
In 1979 I flew a trip to my bosse’s ranch in Ozark Arkansas. Because of the weather we landed in Ft.Smith which is the nearest small city. Across the street from my Hotel was a Chinese restaurant. Places like Ft.Smith didn’t have many Asians residents or Chinese restaurants. The food was fabulous and I told the owner how much I enjoyed the food and asked how he wound up in Ft.Smith. He told me that he and his family were refugees from Vietnam. They were sent to a relocation center at Ft.Chafee in 1975 which was located in Ft.Smith. He said almost all the other refugees left for bigger cities. He walked out and said to himself that Ft.Smith is a nice town and they didn’t have a Chinese restaurant so he stayed and opened this restaurant.
May 25, 2015 at 9:35 pm
Bob,
I think Vietnamese food tastes quite different than Chinese food, but I guess Chinese would be more recognizable. Arkansas seems an odd spot in which to immigrate.