It was 1866 and the United States was
recovering from the long and bloody Civil War between
the North and the South. Surviving soldiers came home,
some with missing limbs, and all with stories to tell.
Henry Welles, a drugstore owner in Waterloo, New York,
heard the stories and had an idea. He suggested that all
the shops in town close for one day to honor the
soldiers who were killed in the Civil War and were
buried in the Waterloo cemetery. On the morning of May
5, the townspeople placed flowers, wreaths and crosses
on the graves of the Northern soldiers in the cemetery.
At about the same time, Retired Major General Jonathan
A. Logan planned another ceremony, this time for the
soldiers who survived the war. He led the veterans
through town to the cemetery to decorate their comrades'
graves with flags. It was not a happy celebration, but a
memorial. The townspeople called it Decoration Day.
In Retired Major General Logan's
proclamation of Memorial Day, he declared:
"The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the
purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise
decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense
of their country and during the late rebellion, and
whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and
hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no
form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades
will in their own way arrange such fitting services
and testimonials of respect as circumstances may
permit."
The two ceremonies were joined in 1868, and northern
states commemorated the day on May 30. The southern
states commemorated their war dead on different days.
Children read poems and sang civil war songs and
veterans came to school wearing their medals and
uniforms to tell students about the Civil War. Then the
veterans marched through their home towns followed by
the townspeople to the cemetery. They decorated graves
and took photographs of soldiers next to American flags.
Rifles were shot in the air as a salute to the northern
soldiers who had given their lives to keep the United
States together.
In 1882, the name was changed to Memorial Day and
soldiers who had died in previous wars were honored as
well. In the northern United States, it was designated a
public holiday. In 1971, along with other holidays,
President Richard Nixon declared Memorial Day a federal
holiday on the last Monday in May.
Cities all around the United States hold their own
ceremonies on the last Monday in May* to pay
respect to the men and women who have died in wars or in
the service of their country.
Memorial Day is not limited to honor only those
Americans from the armed forces. It is also a day for
personal remembrance. Families and individuals honor the
memories of their loved ones who have died. Church
services, visits to the cemetery, flowers on graves or
even silent tribute mark the day with dignity and
solemnity. It is a day of reflection. However, to many
Americans the day also signals the beginning of summer
with a three-day weekend to spend at the beach, in the
mountains or at home relaxing.
In Waterloo, New York, the origin has not been lost
and in fact the meaning has become even more special.
President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed Waterloo the
birthplace of Memorial Day in 1966, 100 years after the
first commemoration. Every May 30, townspeople still
walk to the cemeteries and hold memorial services. They
decorate the graves with flags and flowers. Then they
walk back to the park in the middle of town. In the
middle of the park, near a monument dedicated to
soldiers, sailors and marines, the Gettysburg address is
read, followed by Retired Major General Logan's Order #
11 designating Decoration Day. The village choirs sing
patriotic songs. In the evening, school children take
part in a parade.
Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia is the
nation's largest national cemetery. Not only are members
of the armed forces buried here; astronauts, explorers
and other distinguished Americans have all been honored
with a special place here. President John F. Kennedy is
buried in a spot overlooking Washington, D.C..
Here in the early hours of the Friday morning before
Memorial Day, soldiers of the Third U.S. infantry walk
along the rows of headstones. Each soldier stops at a
headstone, reaches to a bundle of flags he is carrying,
pulls one out and pushes it into the ground. These
soldiers are part of a special regiment. the Old Guard.
Most consider it a privilege to place flags on the more
than two hundred thousand graves of soldiers who served
in the wars or who died in them. "They have done their
job," said one soldier, "and now it's my turn to do
mine."
It is an equal honor to guard the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier all year. There are actually four soldiers
buried in this spot: the unknown soldiers of the two
World Wars, the Korean conflict, and the Vietnam War.
Each soldier represents all of those who gave their
lives in the modern wars. Soldiers from the Army's Third
Infantry guard the tomb twenty-four hours a day.
Wreath-laying ceremonies take place all through the year
and people from all over the world come to watch the
changing of the guard. On another hill of Arlington
Cemetery there is a mass grave of unidentified soldiers
from the Civil War.
On Memorial Day, the President or Vice President of
the United States gives a speech and lays a wreath on
the tombs. Members of the armed forces shoot a rifle
salute in the air. Veterans and families come to lay
their own wreaths and say prayers. There is a chance
that one of the soldiers buried here is a father, son,
brother or friend.
*Some southern states continue to celebrate
Memorial Day on various days, i.e. June 3rd in Louisiana
and Tennessee called "Confederate Memorial Day" and on
May 10th in North and South Carolina.
