Memorial Day

thumbnail|upright|Memorial Day, Boston by Henry Sandham Memorial Day (previously known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering and honoring the military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Quotes The bugle echoes shrill and sweet, But not of war it sings to-day. The road is rhythmic with the feet ⁠Of men-at-arms who come to pray.</p> The roses blossom white and red ⁠On tombs where weary soldiers lie; Flags wave above the honored dead ⁠And martial music cleaves the sky. Above their wreath-strewn graves we kneel, ⁠They kept the faith and fought the fight. Through flying lead and crimson steel ⁠They plunged for Freedom and the Righteousness. May we, their grateful children, learn ⁠Their strength, who lie beneath this sod, Who went through fire and death to earn ⁠At last the accolade of God.In shining rank on rank arrayed They march, the legions of the Lord; He is their Captain unafraid, The Prince of Peace . . . Who brought a sword. Joyce Kilmer, Memorial Day; this poem was later published in The Army and Navy Hymnal (1920) If and when America and American freedom are really threatened, I have no doubt that American men and women will rise to the occasion and show the kind of nobility and heroism that was evident in the Revolution and the Civil War. But in the meantime, we need to stop glorifying all these wars that were criminal, or that could have been avoided. Memorial Day should be a day to demand peace, a day to demand an end to a military-industrial complex that claims nearly half of the nation’s general funds, a day to focus on the real threats to American’s “cherished ideals,” most of which are purely domestic, and a day to celebrate what those ideals are: equalty before the law, freedom of speech and assembly, freedom from government intrusion in our lives, the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty by a jury of our peers, and the right to stand up and say that our political leaders are, for the most part, crooks, charlatans and even war criminals. Dave Lindorff, The Glorification of War (May 31, 2010), CounterPunch. Out of the blood of a conflict fraternal, ⁠Out of the dust and the dimness of death, Burst into blossoms of glory eternal ⁠Flowers that sweeten the world with their breath. Flowers of charity, peace, and devotion ⁠Bloom in the hearts that are empty of strife; Love that is boundless and broad as the ocean ⁠Leaps into beauty and fulness of life. So, with the singing of pæans and chorals, ⁠And with the flag flashing high in the sun, Place on the graves of our heroes the laurels ⁠Which their unfaltering valor has won! Paul Laurence Dunbar, "Ode for Memorial Day" (a. 1896) Memorial Day has the tendency to conjure up old arguments about the Civil War. That’s understandable; it was created to mourn the dead of a war in which the Union was nearly destroyed, when half the country rose up in rebellion in defense of slavery. Adam Serwer, The Cruelty Is the Point: The Past, Present, and Future of Trump's America (2021) External links Memorial Day Memorial Day 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Memorial Day 36 USC 116. Memorial Day (designation law) United States Department of Veterans Affairs National Moment of Remembrance Home Page National Memorial Day Museum website National Memorial Day Concert site The History of Memorial Day Memorial Day celebration suggestions, 1898 Category:Holidays and observances Category:War Category:United States Armed Forces