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Thursday, July 10, 2025 |
Memorial Day 2001 (serious, not funny)   
Date: Sent Monday, May 28, 2001
Category: None | Rating: 3.66/5 (64 votes)
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"Since 1868, Americans have celebrated Memorial Day to honor those who fought and died to preserve our freedom. We set aside one day each year to
pause and reflect on the debt of gratitude we owe to the brave patriots who stood in the breach when the defense of liberty demanded the ultimate
sacrifice.
"Perhaps President John F. Kennedy captured the spirit of this holiday best when he said, "A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces,
but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers." By honoring the men and women who have sacrificed their lives to protect our freedom, we ensure
that their heroic spirit will live on in this new century.
"Indeed, this spirit is alive and well in today's Armed Forces. In the mountains of Bosnia, along the DMZ in Korea, in the rocky Sinai desert, in the
skies over Iraq, and the blue waters of the Pacific, our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen stand watch -- day and night --
guarding freedom's frontier. Today, as in the past, they bear the burdens that make America's blessings possible for all its citizens.
"The Joint Chiefs of Staff and I join every American in honoring those who gave their lives -- and all of their tomorrows -- so that we might live in
peace. We also salute the dedicated men and women of today's Armed Forces who actively preserve this noble legacy."
-Gen. Henry H. Shelton, USA Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
Received from The Thought for the Day mailing list.
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"It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country in wars far away. The imagination plays a trick. We see these
soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray-haired. But most of them were boys when
they died, they gave up two lives -- the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up their chance to be
husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for their county, for us. All we can
do is remember."
-- Ronald Wilson Reagan - Remarks at Veteran's Day ceremony, Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Virginia, November 11, 1985
"Memorial Day is on the last Monday in May and honors those men and women who lost their lives serving their country. What we celebrate as Memorial
Day today, began at the end of the Civil War. Family members of the many soldiers slain in battle would visit the grave sites of their fallen
relatives or friends and decorate the graves with flowers.
"On May 5, 1868, General John Logan proclaimed this day a holiday through his General Order No. 11. The day was entitled Decoration Day and was first
observed on May 30, 1868. The northern states celebrated this day every year, but the southern states celebrated a day similar to this on a different
day until sometime after World War I.
"In 1882, the name Decoration day was changed to Memorial Day, and in 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday to be held on the last Monday
of May every year. Over the years it has come to serve as a day to remember all U.S. men and women killed or missing in action in all wars.
"I am truly grateful for the freedoms which we enjoy today. Too often, we take these gifts for granted, little realizing the sacrifice which was
involved in ensuring that these freedoms continue to be a part of all of our lives. Be honest, how many of us think of Memorial Day as just another
chance for a three-day weekend? A chance to go the lakes or beaches or mountains? A trip to Disneyland or Six Flags or some other amusement park?
"If you are here in the United States, please remember to display your flag. Let's not forget the real reason for having this holiday. The quote below
says it all. Please take the time to read it."
Received and written by Thomas S. Ellsworth (USN 65-69).
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