Memorial Day/Decoration Day, May 27, 2013

   When was Decoration Day renamed Memorial Day?

When looking up information on Memorial Day, I found that Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, as its purpose was to visit cemeteries and place flowers on the graves of soldiers who had died in the Civil War. But in 1882, people started calling it “Memorial Day,” and by the time World Wars I and II had ended, it had evolved into a day to honor all fallen military men and women, no matter what war they fought in.  (Memorial Day: Behind its meaning and traditions taken from MSN Living Origins)

Reading this article reminded me of two things:

(1) My childhood which was in the mid 1940’s through 1950’s when Memorial Day was referred to as Decoration Day, long after it was given it's current name.  At that time Decoration Day was synonymous with Mom, Dad, family, flowers, cemetery and family barbecues and family gatherings.  (My mother raised flowers which many people bought especially for this day.)

(2) The Memorial Concert which was broadcast Sunday evening May 26 on the PBS television station from Washington DC.  It was well done and gave honor to those soldiers, men and women, who have died or were wounded, and also to their bereaved families, orphans and widows. 

I was a spouse of a soldier during the Vietnam conflict and am forever grateful that my husband returned home to me and wasn't one of the fallen soldiers.  I did have a frightful moment when I received a call saying that he had been wounded and they were unable to tell me how badly he was hurt.  Reading Lanny’s Vietnam journal has made me very aware of the multiple times he could have been killed as easily as not.  My sympathy goes out to those who have not been so fortunate.  I am reminded of the great sacrifice that has been made by so many for our rights and freedom.

 Here are a few words from Lanny's journal and a story.   This is an experience he had as a pallbearer:

“One morning as we fell out for training, the sergeant asked for volunteers to serve as pallbearers for a military funeral.  It was not my nature to volunteer for anything in the military, but I found myself with my hand raised.  I was picked immediately and told to fall out and wait for further instruction.  There were seven of us selected and we spent the rest of the day being trained in the proper way to serve as military pallbearers.

This included how to take the flag from the casket, fold it, and present it to the widow.  We were then told to fall out the next day in our dress green uniforms, and to be prepared to be transported to the town of Lake Charles, Louisiana for the funeral of a fallen comrade in Arms who had been killed in Vietnam.  We arrived at the mortuary early.

It was time for the transportation of the deceased from the mortuary services to the cemetery for burial services.  We lined up as we had been directed along side the casket, which was closed and draped with “Old Glory”.  On a signal from the mortician we simultaneously lifted the casket and marched it outside to the waiting hearse.  As pallbearers, we all rode in the third car behind the hearse to the cemetery where we carried the casket from the hearse to the grave site.  The widow and two little children sat just to our front.  The widow couldn't have been much older than twenty years of age.  They were all dressed in black and were trying hard to hold back the tears.

Upon command we picked up the flag from the coffin and held it stretched tight over the coffin.  A gentleman spoke a few words to the family and then delivered a graveside prayer dedicating the grave site.  A military officer then stepped forward and directed several military soldiers in a gun salute to the deceased soldier. 

Lanny Starr

Then as pallbearers we folded the flag from front to rear of the coffin. We then presented the flag to the widow and a bugler played “Taps”.  The young widow sobbed out loud as we came to attention and marched away from the grave site. I did not know any of the civilians present at the ceremony, yet it was the saddest funeral I had ever attended.  I still find myself wondering sometimes what happened to that young family left sobbing at the grave site.  I hope they found a new and happy life, but I also hope they never forgot their fallen soldier, husband, and father.”

"To my offspring, I hope you will always be patriotic and cherish your freedom greater than anything else in life, for without freedom happiness can not exist. If you are called to serve, serve proudly and do your best. If not called to serve, always support those who do. Most important of all, honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom. You live in the greatest nation in the world, be proud.” 

Lanny and Arlene Starr