I’ve decided to kick the Monday Rune a week down the road because today is Memorial Day in the USA.
My mother still called it Decoration Day even long after 1971, when Memorial Day was declared a national holiday. If you want some good information and background on the day, click HERE.
On this and every Memorial Day, I hope Americans remember what it’s factually all about. It is a day of memorial, a day to honor and remember people who died in service to the country.
Saying happy Memorial Day is inappropriate, but curbing that gets more difficult every year as more people lose sight of the purpose, which I consider unfortunate, if not sad. While it may never be incorrect to thank a veteran for their service, this day is about the dead, not the living. Veterans Day in on November 11th each year and it is totally correct to say happy Veterans Day, which is also a national holiday.
There are entire vet organizations set up for exactly this purpose: to get it right on Memorial Day. While there is a lot of hoopla, sales, and military prominence on this day, the purpose is still to memorialize the dead. I hope we don’t forget that.
Our Literary Journey 
Dear Bill,
We tend to forget everything, don’t we? Like history in general. Sorry…crabby pre-coffee me. Fortunately my father made it back, albeit wounded externally, and in retrospect internally. I say in retrospect because PTSD wasn’t a thing then. Dad turned to food for comfort, but had a raging, unpredictable temper. He told great army stories but now I wonder just how many comrades in arms he saw die in battle. Thank you for the reminder post.
Salute,
Rochelle
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You’re welcome, Rochelle.
It is always nice to hear from you, coffee or not.
From what I have read of war (and that is a lot) everyone close to combat, including civilians, is changed by it.
While PTSD can apply to any traumatic experience for anyone, in my opinion, every combat veteran is probably effected by PTSD to some degree.
I hope your weekend is going wonderfully. 🙂
Peace,
Bill
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Well said. It is an honourable day to be observed. We don’t have it in Canada, merging all vets, alive and dead on Remembrance Day – November 11. Different name, same meaning, to a certain extent.
That meme is perfect to make people understand the difference (apostrophe non withstanding…)
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Thanks, Dale. I hope your weekend has been a good one. 🙂
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I remember calling it Decoration day for quite a while since my relatives did. I used to always go out of my way to get a poppie, though I can’t exactly remember if those were only for Veteran’s Day or if they were given out on Memorial day too.
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As I understand it, the poppy tradition began with the poem “In Flanders Fields,” which was written during the First World War by a Canadian physician, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae.
I’ve read that originally the poppy was linked to Armistice Day (11 November, now Vets Day, but also remembrance day in other countries).
American Monia Michael wrote “and now the torch and poppy red, we wear in honor of our dead…” She worked to make the poppy a symbol of remembrance of those who had died in war. So that would tie it to Memorial Day. So, maybe both, nowadays.
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