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lt’s Time to Renew Our Devotion to Freedom

Click to see original imageIt’s been said before and is worth repeating; As the Fourth of July celebrates America’s birthday of freedom, so Memorial Day reminds us of the cost of our independence. By time-honored tradition in this country, we decorate the graves of war veterans with flags and flowers on Memorial Day in remembrance of their sacrifices in the cause of liberty. This “holiday of the heart” also honors other departed loved ones. lt’s a time for remembering and for paying homage to those who have gone before. Since the Memorial Day tradition started shortly after the Civil War as “Decoration Day,” more than 1.2 million Americans have lost their lives in military struggles across the globe. The observance helps to ensure that what they did and gave – their sacrifices in the cause of freedom – will never be forgotten. Congress made Decoration Day a legal holiday in 1888. However, the tradition of honoring the soldier dead began more than two decades earlier. History seems unsure of the specific origin. A popular version is that women of Columbus, Miss. decided to honor the Confederate war dead with flowers in a manner borrowed from the Romans and Greeks. They took their flowers to the cemeteries. But 85 years of unity with the northern states – from the Declaration of Independence to the Civil War – had left a bond not easily forgotten. The women also decorated the graves of Union soldiers. As word of the heartwarming incident spread, the women’s kindly act seemed to have a positive effect toward mending the fragile national spirit. In 1868, Maj. Gen. John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans of the Civil War, directed all GAR posts to set aside May 30 “for strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion.” The practice soon became a tradition in both North and South. Decoration of graves spread to families across the land, each to offer “in memoriam” floral and other tributes as desired. Congressional designation of a legal holiday made the custom universal. The traditional May 30 observance was altered somewhat starting in 1971 when Congress revamped the holiday alignment and scheduled this observance for the last Monday in May, a date marked in most states. This year’s holiday happens to fall on the time-honored date of May 30. Some Southern states still have their own days for honoring the Confederate dead. Let Memorial Day 1983 be a time for tender reflection for remembering our war dead and other loved ones for their deeds and example. May it also be a time for recommitment to perpetuating the freedoms and independence envisioned by America’s founders and preserved through the years at high cost and sacrifice.