Memorial Day; Remembering our Fallen Heroes

by Michelle Hazekamp

May 24, 2025

Imagine the Sacrifice

Imagine joining the military out of love for country and sense of duty, eventually finding yourself surrounded by gun shells in battle and are critically wounded. As your body begins to shut down in these final moments, images of loved ones flash before your eyes along with visions of your future; career, family, house, etc., and you realize you will never have the joy of being a husband or father. This is where and how your life ends. The feeling of agony fills you as you imagine the devestation brought upon your mother, father, and siblings, etc., and you anxiously realize that you will never see their faces or embrace them in a hug again. Maybe you have a wife and young kids waiting for you to come home, and thoughts of leaving them alone sends a painful jolt of despair, until finally, all goes dark and silently, your soul descends unseen, as you join your brave brothers and sisters who went before you. You are now a memory amongst "hall of patriot heroes," who made the ultimate sacrifice so others could live in freedom.

Lost Meaning to Younger Generations

To many, Memorial Day is nothing but an extended weekend with parades, family barbecues and the official kick-off to summer, all the while remembering and honoring our fallen heroes has become an after thought. And as our "Greatest Generation" of WWII veterans continue to whither away quickly into extinction, the idea of patriotism and sacrifice is quickly becoming lost to our younger generations as the perception of freedom becomes irrelevant. Franklin D. Roosevelt once stated ""Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them." Saddly, this resonates with today's society.

When Did Memorial Day Begin?

Memorial Day began after the Civil War as tributes to the fallen soldiers, and was originally called "Decoration Day." Americans in various towns and cities began holding springtime ceremonies in which they would decorate the graves of the fallen soldiers, sing hymns and recite prayers. It is unclear where the tradition originated, but some of the earliest records show it may have started by a group of former slaves in Charleston, SC, less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865.

The First Official Decoration Day

On this first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Civil War soldiers buried there.

"Hither our children's children shall come to pay their tribute of grateful homage. For this are we met to-day. By the happy suggestion of a great society, assemblies like this are gathering at this hour in every State in the Union.

Thousands of soldiers are today turning aside in the march of life to visit the silent encampments of dead comrades who once fought by their side. From many thousand homes, whose light was put out when a soldier fell, there go forth to-day to join these solemn processions loving kindred and friends, from whose heart the shadow of grief will never be lifted till the light of the eternal world dawns upon them."

Why Did Decoration Day Change to Memorial Day?

After WWI, Decoration Day was renamed Memorial Day, as overseas soldiers in France began holding Memorial Day ceremonies for the fallen soldiers in temporary cemeteries, which would ultimately become the permanent resting places of U.S. Soldiers killed in combat. These observances rose up again during WWII. And now, every year during Memorial Day weekend, ceremonies in overseas cemeteries honor the more than 200,000 individuals commemorated at these sites. Each headstone is decorated with a small American flag, and the flag of the corresponding host nation. Speakers and honor guards pay homage to those who fell.

"The Uniform Monday Holiday Act" of 1968

In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, establishing Memorial Day on the last Monday in May and was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Memorial Day ceremonies throughout the U.S. and the world are rooted in nearly 150 years of tradition, and ensure that the United States will never forget those who died in the armed forces, far from family, home, and the country for which they served. In tribute to the many, in honor of all, we offer our gratitude.

In everything you do this weekend with friends and family and of your own free will, do it in remembrance of those who sacrificed their lives to make it possible. Let us remember and honor their selfless service, and be thankful to those who died defending our liberty.