Memorial Day History
General John Logan
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day
of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. Memorial
Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national
commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11,
and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the
graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873.
By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused
to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after
World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died
fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any
war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in
May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90
- 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays).
Moina Michael conceived of the idea to wear red poppies
on Memorial day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war.
Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW became the first veterans'
organization to nationally sell poppies. Two years later their "Buddy"
Poppy program was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans.
Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished
over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and
traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen
are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the
proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that
still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades.
Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just
those fallen in service to our country.
To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true
meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution
was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans
"To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance
and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence
or listening to 'Taps."
But what may be needed to return the solemn, and even
sacred, spirit back to Memorial Day is for a return to its traditional
day of observance. Many feel that when Congress made the day into a three-day
weekend in with the National Holiday Act of 1971, it made it all the easier
for people to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day. As
the VFW stated in its 2002 Memorial Day address: "Changing the date merely
to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day.
No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant
observance of Memorial Day."
In 2005, the government’s Federal Holiday for Memorial
Day will fall on May 30, the traditional date.
At the Court House steps, MO. Department Commander,
Charlie Funck, Sons of Union Veterans will present a program on Gen. John
Logan and his General Orders No. 11, Friday May 27, 2005. A
schedule of the time for this and other activities will be published at
a later date.
For more information on the history of Memorial Day
please visit this web site.
http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html
For more information and updates on the Funeral and
Burial of Corp. John Peyton Byrne please check out the web site http://www.duvcw.org
Return to:
http://www.duvcw.org/lastveteran
http://www.duvcw.org