(MURFREESBORO) COVID-19 impacted the Memorial Day weekend. Flags were not placed beside each tombstone at the Stones River National Battlefield, the 'Boro Beach outdoor water park at SportsCom did not open, and even the Flags of Remembrance Healing Field was a virtual event for 2020.
Over the years, we seem to have forgotten what Memorial Day is all about. It is for honoring those who have made the supreme sacrifice to protect us, our freedom, and the Constitution that safeguards those rights.
As Murfreesboro First Presbyterian's Rev. Dr. John Hinkle said, "Memorial Day honors veterans who have died for us. It's not Veterans Day, that's in November and that date honors all veterans. Memorial Day is for those who have made the supreme sacrifice."
We seem to live in a time when bundling tributes makes it easy, and so some have blended Decoration Day and Memorial Day together.
Decoration Day was initiated on May 30, 1868 with a proclamation made by Grand Army of the Republic General John A. Logan when 5,000 volunteers helped to decorate 20,000 Confederate and Union graves at Arlington Cemetery.
That event, however, grew from earlier community memorials that that were started two-years prior. Look at the facts: the Civil War ended May 9, 1865, so the May date was symbolic and the first anniversary year was 1866. Many cities claim to have had that first tribute honoring warriors who made the supreme sacrifice: Columbus, Mississippi; Macon, Georgia; Richmond, Virginia; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; Carbondale, Illinois; and Waterloo, New York.
It was not resolved until a presidential directive on May 26, 1966, when President Lyndon B. Johnson was made. Waterloo won with their May 5, 1866 event because that community took added depth to the memorial tribute. In Waterloo it was a community-wide activity, all businesses were closed while residents decorated graves of soldiers with flowers and flags. CLICK HERE to see President Johnson's directive.
However, over the years Decoration Day took additional meanings. The theme of decorating cemeteries remained, but in some areas included cemeteries with no soldiers and a day to clean the graveyard and following with worship service and dinner on the grounds. In many areas, the present Decoration Day does not focus 100 per cent on honoring only fallen soldiers, whereas that is, according to the VA, still the official purpose of Memorial Day.
But with time, people forget history, and the original meanings start to change.
Memorial Day honors those who made the supreme sacrifice for our country, and the poem "In Flanders Field" by John McCrae expresses it best.
By the way, McCrae was a Canadian doctor and teacher who served in World War I, and he penned the poem that continues to be one of the most memorized verses in the world.
Yes, COVID-19 has impacted everything we do here and around the world. But the spirit of America and the love of our country continues to grow stronger. You can see it in the rows of flags that line the edges of yards across the USA. The feeling is alive as Old Glory waves proudly over more homes and businesses than ever before.
Before the Memorial Day weekend ends, stroll through the cemetery at the Stones River National Battlefield. As you walk, think of the words of "Flander's Field", and say a prayer for all of those who have made the supreme sacrifice. They are proof that this is truly "the home of the brave and the land of the free".
