The ‘memorial’ part of this day is being buried by the mundane

There are many ways of getting back in touch with what this special day means — or is supposed to mean — to the American people.

For a historical perspective, one need only go back to the roots of Memorial Day, General Orders No. 11, issued on May 5, 1868, by Gen. John A. Logan, which designated the 30th day of May, 1868, be “for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land. ...

“If our eyes grow dull, other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us.

“Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation’s gratitude, the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan.”

The solemnity of the day has evolved to commemorate the deaths not only of those soldiers who died in service to their country, but those who once served and have now passed.

A daily reminder

For a modern perspective, then, one need only turn to the Tributes page of The Vindicator and take note of the veterans who have died in recent days. Sunday, for instance, there were no fewer than 10, whose obituaries noted their service in three wars, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and in the Army, the Navy, the Marines and the Army Air Corps, predecessor to the Air Force.

Next Memorial Day, their graves will join thousands of others throughout the area that will have flags placed on them by veterans groups, Scout troops and volunteers, a ritual that produces a stunning visual reminder of the sacrifices made by these men and women in times of challenge to this nation. Their sacrifices have made it possible for the rest of us to enjoy this holiday.

And even today, Americans continue to serve in trouble spots around the globe, most notably in Afghanistan, where more than 1,850 members of the armed services have given their lives.

Changing times

Unfortunately much of the spirit of the day as envisioned by Gen. Logan has been lost. “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders,” Logan wrote.

But today, as parades and solemn ceremonies grow fewer and smaller, more and more of us find time to go shopping or picnicking or pursing other pleasures that are available to us any of the other 51 weekends of the year. And fewer and fewer of us even bother to set foot in those cemeteries where fluttering flags remind us of generations of sacrifices made by common men and women who did extraordinary things on our behalf.