Happy Memorial Day!

Tom Hughes

Sergeant Major
Joined
May 27, 2019
Location
Mississippi
happymemorialday.jpg

Memorial Day is a holiday that commemorates soldiers that gave the ultimate sacrifice in our wars to secure the freedoms we enjoy today as Americans. My understanding is that it all started in 1866 by a group of women in Columbus, MS that visited Friendship Cemetery to place flowers on the graves of fallen Confederate soldiers. They ended up putting flowers on both Union and Confederate graves and the tradition grew from there to include all wars.
The GAR stud button above was dug by me in Vicksburg, MS and probably belonged to a Union war veteran that had served in the campaign.
 
I believe its from the National Memorial Reunion and Peace Jubilee, Vicksburg, Miss., Oct. 16-19, 1917. Nice Piece.
 
As a veteran, it is frustrating when someone sends me a social media message or says to me “thinking of everyone who served” on this singular day. So many Americans confuse Memorial day with Armed Forces Day or Veterans Day, or simply don’t know or care to know the difference. I also cringe a bit when people say “Happy Memorial Day”. It’s a solemn day, reserved for observation, reverence and thanks. Happy Veterans Day and Happy Armed Force’s day are appropriate, but not for this particular day. Still, I’m not sure how best to address it....have a thoughtful Memorial Day? Enjoy Memorial Day but remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice? It’s a pet peeve, but so often misinterpreted or misrepresented.
 
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As a veteran, it is frustrating when someone sends me a social media message or says to me “thinking of everyone who served” on this singular day. So many Americans confuse Memorial day with Armed Forces Day or Veterans Day, or simply don’t know or care to know the difference. I also cringe a bit when people say “Happy Memorial Day”. It’s a solemn day, reserved for observation, reverence and thanks. Happy Veterans Day and Happy Armed Force’s day is appropriate, but not this particular day. Still, I’m not sure how best to address it....have a thoughtful Memorial Day? Enjoy Memorial Day but remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice? It’s a pet peeve, but so often misinterpreted or misrepresented.
You are spot on as I spent a good part of my day in the swing at the river edges thinking of the friends I lost in Iraq. But most of my thoughts were on the good times we had and the comradery we shared.
 
Memorial Day should be a happy day. It’s a day of reflection and our response should be happy because of the sacrifices of our armed serviceman has made us a free nation to express the freedoms that we enjoy today. Happy I would think would be an appropriate reaction. Happy also that we can celebrate by taking a break from our work and have a holiday.
 
Memorial Day should be a happy day. It’s a day of reflection and our response should be happy because of the sacrifices of our armed serviceman has made us a free nation to express the freedoms that we enjoy today. Happy I would think would be an appropriate reaction. Happy also that we can celebrate by taking a break from our work and have a holiday.
I respectfully disagree. I cannot be Happy when contemplating the day that honors our servicemen who died in warfare, often times painfully and in an excruciating manner. Memorial Day isn’t about them giving up their lunch or their day off...It’s about the fact that they died while serving, be it by a bullet, fire, IED, torture, ambush or other horrible means. There is nothing less happy on earth. Respectful? Honorable? Absolutely. We should be thankful for those sacrifices, but happy? Absolutely not. It’s not a day to be happy nor a day to be selfish and think about how great it is to barbecue in the backyard or head to the lake for the weekend. I totally disagree with you in this one. Unless you’ve served in a conflict and lost people you know in battle, I’m not sure you’ll ever think on the same wavelength, however. I will leave it at that and permit you the final word, Sir.
 
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I respectfully disagree. I cannot be Happy when contemplating the day that honors our servicemen who died in warfare, often times painfully and in an excruciating manner. Memorial Day isn’t about them giving up their lunch or their day off...It’s about the fact that they died while serving, be it by a bullet, fire, IED, torture, ambush or other horrible means. There is nothing less happy on earth. Respectful? Honorable? Absolutely. We should be thankful for those sacrifices, but happy? Absolutely not. It’s not a day to be happy nor a day to be selfish and think about how great it is to barbecue in the backyard or head to the lake for the weekend. I totally disagree with you in this one. Unless you’ve served in a conflict and lost people you know in battle, I’m not sure you’ll ever think on the same wavelength, however. I will leave it at that and permit you the final word, Sir.
My God!! It’s a holiday.
 
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