What happened to Memorial Day observances?

by Judy Williams

What happened to Memorial Day? Is it only a reason for a vacation day? When did it lose its original significance?

When I was a kid years ago, Memorial Day was a big deal, but for a different reason than it is now. The school gym would be packed with people. A local choir would sing several patriotic tunes, and the high school band would play a march. Almost everyone in the community took the time to turn out for the ceremonies.

Each year, the speaker would remind people of the high price of our freedom, while rows of area veterans sat in the front of the gym. Each Gold Star Mother—women whose sons were killed in combat or missing in action—would be presented with a corsage. These women listened stoically to the speaker with hearts breaking as they remembered the ultimate sacrifice made by their sons. (No woman in our community had lost her life in the service at that time.) These mothers knew firsthand about the high cost of our freedom.

After the services in the gym, the veterans and the high school and junior high bands lined up for the Memorial Day Parade. Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Brownies and Girl Scouts all followed and marched to the cemetery. People lined the parade route and joined the procession to the cemetery after the parade passed by.

After a program at the cemetery, a chicken barbeque would be held on the Township Square. Ice cream treats were given out to the children who participated in the parade. It was now time to gather and meet with family members, friends and neighbors.

In junior high, a band director gave my class a lecture about the importance of Memorial Day and why its date shouldn’t be changed. At the time, some in Congress were debating this topic. The band director believed a three-day weekend would cause people to forget what the day really was all about.

Several years later, in 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, and it went into effect in 1971. The act moved the traditional Memorial Day from its May 30 date to the last Monday in May.

When it comes to acknowledging Memorial Day, things have certainly changed in recent times. Did the band director correctly predict what would happen? Did changing the date become part of a three-day weekend cause people to forget Memorial Day’s real meaning? It seems, every year, fewer and fewer people take the time to remember our fallen heroes.

Have we forgotten the significance of Memorial Day? It’s fine to enjoy the holiday, but spend some time this May 29 to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They paid a high price for our freedom. Let’s not take it for granted.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Memorial Day Time of Remembrance at Oaklawn Cemetery in Stockbridge is Monday, May 29, 2023, 10:30 a.m.

The cost of freedom is shown below:

MAJOR WAR                                                     MILITARY Fatalities

American Civil War (1861-1865)                                620,000

World War II (1939-1945)                                           405,399

World War I (1917-1918)                                            116,516

Vietnam (1965-1973)                                                     58,209

Korean War (1950-1953)                                               36,516

American Revolution (1775-1783)                              25,000

War of 1812 (1812-1815)                                              20,000

Mexican, American War (1846-1848)                        13,283

War on Terror (2001-present)                                       7,075

Spanish-American War (1898)                                      2,446

Gulf War (1990-1991)                                                      258