Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v12n10)
Right in my Own Backyard - Remembering - by Brandt Carter
posted: May 15, 2015
Remembering
Fundamentals of Memorial Day can easily be overlooked in Indianapolis. Many activities surrounding the Indianapolis 500, the "Greatest Race Ever Run," and the beginning of the summer season can overshadow the reasons we have Memorial Day and allow us to bypass its traditions. So let's pause and reflect.
Memorial Day is an American federal holiday that is now observed on the last Monday of May, although originally May 30th was the designated day. This holiday is to honor all the men and women who have died while serving in the United States military.
Originally known as Decoration Day, people would pick fresh flowers from their gardens, go to a cemetery, and decorate the gravesites of soldiers. It is thought that the day was set aside to honor fallen warriors soon after the Civil War. More than 600,000 soldiers were killed during that war. Double the population size of the Ft. Wayne or Cincinnati to conceptualize the enormity of loss. Because of this horrendous loss, more deaths than any other conflict in US history, national cemeteries were established and local cities and towns began honoring those who fought for freedom.
Although most stories about where Memorial Day began are legend, the federal government declared Waterloo, NY as the birthplace of Memorial Day. They began their celebration in May of 1866. Soon General John Logan, leader of the Northern veterans, called for a nationwide day for strewing flowers or decorating graves. So the customer of Decoration Day began May 30, 1868.
In 1967, a federal law officially named May 30 as Memorial Day. In 1968, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May. The law did not take effect until 1971. So, now parades, speeches, concerts, and spectacles are celebrated on the last Monday in May. One bit of trivia, in 2016, Memorial Day will be on May 30th for those who remember the good old days.
As we prepare to observe the three-day weekend that's upcoming, let the true purpose of this day be foremost in out minds - reverently lauding those who have given their lives in service to our country.
brandt@broadripplegazette.com