Memorial Day 2007 on the Horizon
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The USA KIA/DOW Family Foundation (USAKIA) would like to comment on Memorial Day, coming up about a month from now. Memorial Day has a rich history in the United States, and this year we celebrate it on Monday, May 28. According to http://usmemorialday.org, "Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service…" We would like to remind Americans of its sanctity and meaning.
Stories abound about the day's origins with the most common being it began in Waterloo, New York. General Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, officially proclaimed the first Memorial Day be May 30, 1868, with his General Order Number 11. By the end of World War I, every state in the Union honored our nation's fallen.
May 30 remained the day Americans in most states honored their military dead till 1971 when Congress passed the National Holiday Act, changing Memorial Day to the last Monday in May. However, some southern states also have their own days to honor Confederate war dead and did not adopt Memorial Day till after World War I. Nowadays calls to change it back to the set day like the Fourth of July come from patriotic groups and individuals such as the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and Hawaii's Senator Inouye.
A bipartisan committee, the White House Commission on Remembrance, provides a Web site which urges putting the meaning back into Memorial Day. Many criticize the change from May 30 to the last day in May so that Americans can have their 3-day weekend. The National Moment of Remembrance Home Page urges Americans, in honor of their military dead, to have a minute of silence or play Taps, if possible, at 3PM, local time. The site has free downloads including several versions of Taps.
USAKIA uses funds it collects for some meaningful programs, including a Free KIA Flag Program where families of those who die in hostile action receive a free flag and other items via Priority Mail. We keep our operating expenses low with an all-volunteer organization. We also hold events and plan other projects. The nonprofit accepts tax-deductible donations. See our Web site for further information. We wish you a good Memorial Day, and please remember their priceless sacrifice for your freedom. They were members of our nation's military but also our family members and friends who paid the ultimate price for God and country.
Resources:
National Moment of Remembrance Home Page - White House Commission on Remembrance - (Cut and Paste http://remember.gov)
USMemorialDay.org - (Cut and Paste http://usmemorialday.org)
USA KIA/DOW Family Foundation (USAKIA) - (Cut and Paste http://usakia.org)
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) - (Cut and Paste http://suvcw.org)
Memorial Day Petition at USMemorialDay.org
General Order Number 11 - Commander-in-Chief GAR John A. Logan, May 5, 1868, at USMemorialDay.org
The USA KIA/DOW Family Foundation (USAKIA) would like to comment on Memorial Day, coming up about a month from now. Memorial Day has a rich history in the United States, and this year we celebrate it on Monday, May 28. According to http://usmemorialday.org, "Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service…" We would like to remind Americans of its sanctity and meaning.
Stories abound about the day's origins with the most common being it began in Waterloo, New York. General Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, officially proclaimed the first Memorial Day be May 30, 1868, with his General Order Number 11. By the end of World War I, every state in the Union honored our nation's fallen.
May 30 remained the day Americans in most states honored their military dead till 1971 when Congress passed the National Holiday Act, changing Memorial Day to the last Monday in May. However, some southern states also have their own days to honor Confederate war dead and did not adopt Memorial Day till after World War I. Nowadays calls to change it back to the set day like the Fourth of July come from patriotic groups and individuals such as the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and Hawaii's Senator Inouye.
A bipartisan committee, the White House Commission on Remembrance, provides a Web site which urges putting the meaning back into Memorial Day. Many criticize the change from May 30 to the last day in May so that Americans can have their 3-day weekend. The National Moment of Remembrance Home Page urges Americans, in honor of their military dead, to have a minute of silence or play Taps, if possible, at 3PM, local time. The site has free downloads including several versions of Taps.
USAKIA uses funds it collects for some meaningful programs, including a Free KIA Flag Program where families of those who die in hostile action receive a free flag and other items via Priority Mail. We keep our operating expenses low with an all-volunteer organization. We also hold events and plan other projects. The nonprofit accepts tax-deductible donations. See our Web site for further information. We wish you a good Memorial Day, and please remember their priceless sacrifice for your freedom. They were members of our nation's military but also our family members and friends who paid the ultimate price for God and country.
Resources:
National Moment of Remembrance Home Page - White House Commission on Remembrance - (Cut and Paste http://remember.gov)
USMemorialDay.org - (Cut and Paste http://usmemorialday.org)
USA KIA/DOW Family Foundation (USAKIA) - (Cut and Paste http://usakia.org)
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) - (Cut and Paste http://suvcw.org)
Memorial Day Petition at USMemorialDay.org
General Order Number 11 - Commander-in-Chief GAR John A. Logan, May 5, 1868, at USMemorialDay.org
posted by USAKIA at 7:31 AM
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