Remembering Decoration Day

The term Decoration Day has been dropped from the popular lexicon; today is Memorial Day.
But the day is still widely celebrated through decorations. Unfortunately, the accent on those decorations has changed over the years as red, white and blue sale signs have begun to outnumber flags.
There was a day -- well, many days over a number of years, especially following World War II -- when decorations were a huge part of this holiday.
Five and dime stores sold rolls of red, white and blue crepe paper, which were used to decorate the fences in front of houses and, especially, almost every bicycle in some neighborhoods. Weaving the paper in and out of the spikes of a bicycle was an important duty for a boy in the 1950's the night before Decoration Day. Cutting the paper into thin foot-long streamers that were attached to the handle grips was serious business, if it was to be done correctly. Attaching flags to the handlebars was trickier still, unless the rider was lucky enough to have one of the commercially available holders that attached to the bike's neck and held five small flags in a perfect fan.
All this was done so that the bike rider could jump in on the end of the parade that worked its way down many streets in almost every city or town. The bicycle contingent in the parade ebbed and flowed as new riders joined and as other bicyclists rode as far as they were allowed, and had to turn back for home.
More red, white and blue
Meanwhile, parents and grandparents had their own rituals of decoration -- taking red geraniums and blue ageratum and white dusty miller to the cemetery the week before the holiday to decorate graves, especially those of soldiers who had made the ultimate sacrifice.
Local veterans groups made the trek to the cemetery as well, placing flags on the graves of those who had served their country.
Today, there are fewer parades, and far fewer decorated bicycles, but a visit to any cemetery will show that many families still observe the tradition of decorating graves, and Scouting groups and veterans organizations still manage to mark each grave that has earned one with a flag.
The number of those flags has grown with each year as the generation that fought World War II shrinks. More flags in the cemeteries lead inexorably to fewer parades and smaller memorial services.
Decoration Day -- as it was called for almost a century -- was promoted by Gen. John Logan, head of a Union veterans' organization and father of a famous Youngstown soldier who shared his name. The practice of decorating graves of Civil War soldiers had already taken root in the South and some northern cities. Logan also called on Americans to "aid and assist" the widows and orphans left behind.
That sentiment -- the need to honor those who have made sacrifices for their country and the obligation to assist those left behind -- is as important today as it was 140 years ago, 90 years ago or 60 years ago.
The numbers of those Americans who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq are mercifully smaller than those who died in the World Wars, Korea and Vietnam, but their individual sacrifice was obviously just as great.
Today is Memorial Day, a day to remember all those who have served this nation. There will be no huge parade, such as the one pictured in Youngstown 50 years ago on the page opposite this. But there are a number of communities in the area that are having parades and memorial services. If there is still time to attend, do yourself a favor and do so. If not, at least fly a flag and take a few moments to think about the sacrifices others have made over the ages for their fellow Americans.