Memorial day is time to recognize the sacrifice of American patriots who gave their lives to defend our American freedoms. This Memorial Day we honor them and remember that those lives were lost in a struggle dedicated to the eternal truths of freedom. Our country was founded on that spirit, and Americans have nurtured it through every war in every era.
While many communities lay claim to the origin of Memorial Day, it was the Grand Army of the Republic, a Civil War Organization of Union Veterans, who officially declared May 5th as Decoration Day. It was proclaimed as a day for citizens to place flowers on the graves of Civil War dead. The nation’s first large observance was held that year in 1868, just three years after the Civil War ended, at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington DC.
By the end of the 19th century, Decoration Day ceremonies were held across the country on May 30. It was not until after World War I that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. Then, in 1971 Congress declared Memorial Day a National Holiday.
Many Americans confuse the significance of Memorial Day compared to Veterans Day and the recently celebrated Armed forces day.
• Veterans Day pays tribute to every veteran who has served our nation.
• Armed forces Day recognizes those who are serving in the military today.
• Memorial Day is different. On this day the 148th Anniversary of this day we specially recognize the sacrifices of those who paid the cost of our freedoms with their lives in defense of this Great Nation.
Starting with the American Revolution, to the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert shield / Storm, Operation Iraqi freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan America’s military forces have built a tradition of honorable and faithful service.
Our Nation has been blessed with times of peace and prosperity. From September 11, 2001 to June 2014 (12 years) we have been a Nation at war and continue to be a Nation under attack by Terrorists. Therefore, this year’s Memorial Day has special meaning for the love ones of all those Service Members from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard who were killed in combat since 2001.
As we remember those who have most recently giving their lives in serving our Great Nation, we must also remember the hundreds of thousands who have gone before them. It is interesting to note that America’s war dead will not only be remembered today in the United States, but also at gatherings around the world. One overseas ceremony is in Cambridge, England. What makes this event amazing is that the United Kingdom doesn’t officially have a Memorial Day it has Remembrance Day in November. However, whenever Memorial Day is celebrated in the United States, hundreds of English citizens faithfully attend an Annual American Memorial Day Service at the Cambridge American Cemetery. They go there to honor the more than 3,800 Americans who are buried there on land donated by Cambridge University in 1944. The site is one of 24 permanent American Military Cemeteries on foreign soil such as Aisne-Marne, Brittany, Epinal, Lorraine, Meuse-Argone in Normandy, Oise-Aisne, Rhone, Saint Mihiel, Somme and Suresnes American Cemeteries in France, Henry Chapelle, Ardenes and Flanders Field American Cemeteries in Belgium, Florence, and Sicily Rome American Cemeteries in Italy, Luxemburg American Cemetery in Luxemburg, Mexico City American Cemetery in Mexico, Netherlands American Cemetery in the Netherlands, Corozal American Cemetery in Panama, Manila American Cemetery in Philippines, North Africa American Cemetery in Tunisia, Brookwood and Cambridge American Cemeteries in England.
The graves at the Cambridge American Military Cemetery are mostly filled with the remains of those Army Air forces men who flew bombers from the English countryside to the European mainland. Dedicated in 1956 by President Eisenhower, the Cambridge American Military Cemetery features a Chapel, reflecting pools and the Tablets of the missing, where the names and particulars of more than 5,100 Soldiers, Sailors and Marines are etched. Of the missing 3,524 are from the Army and Army Air Corps, 1,371 from the Navy, 201 from the Coast Guard and 30 from the Marine Corps.
President Eisenhower said “the Americans whose names are on the Tablets of the Missing were part of the price that free men were forced to pay to defend human liberty and rights”. He also stated: “All who shall hereafter live in freedom will be here reminded that to these men and their comrades we owe a debt to be paid with grateful remembrance of their sacrifice and high resolve that the cause for which they died shall live eternally”.
Please this May 30, 2017 stand with us and remember and honor all those that paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and their families.
Showing posts with label national cemeteries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label national cemeteries. Show all posts
Monday, May 29, 2017
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Urgent Request - Please Support Wreaths Across America
On Saturday, December 17, volunteers all across the United States will place donated wreaths on the graves of hundreds of thousands of veterans. The annual tradition known as National Wreaths Across America Day got its start in 1992 as a way honor their service and remember their lives. If the event took place today, however, over 100,000 graves at Arlington National Cemetery would be left without a remembrance wreath.
Wreaths Across America is a donation-based organization that receives no money from the government. They raise more than $3 million each year to reach their goal of honoring hundreds of thousands of U.S. veterans with wreaths, and the number grows as more and more men and women who have served pass away.
A mission to honor heroes. Every December, thousands of wreaths are escorted from Harrington, Maine to the nation’s capital, where they are placed at Arlington National Cemetery with the help of many volunteers. The result is a breathtaking sight. On the same day, hundreds of thousands more wreaths are distributed around the country and beyond.
What has become known as the country’s longest veterans parade will begin this year on Saturday, December 10 with a sunrise service at a state park in Maine. For the next seven days, trucks filled with wreaths will caravan down the East Coast to Washington, D.C., stopping at schools, memorials and other locations along the way to spread the Wreaths Across America mission: Remember, honor and teach. The organization’s website details what that mission really means:
The escort to Arlington is symbolic of that mission. According to the Wreaths Across America website, the pilgrimage began 25 years ago when Maine wreath maker Morrill Worchester discovered he had a surplus of holiday wreaths. Worchester was greatly impacted by a visit to Arlington as a child, and he wanted to do something to pay tribute to our nation’s heroes. So, he donated the extra wreaths to be placed on graves in one of the cemetery’s older sections. This tribute continued each year until 2005, when a photo showing the donated wreaths on graves covered in snow went viral. Requests began pouring in from all over the country from people wanting to help honor our nation’s heroes.
In 2007, the Worchester family and many of those who had helped with the annual wreath donations formed the non-profit organization known as Wreaths Across America. In 2008, over 100,000 wreaths were placed on veterans’ graves at over 300 locations, and Congress declared the day of the event Wreaths Across America Day.
In 2014, volunteers laid over 700,000 wreaths at more than 1,000 locations in the United States and beyond. The event is usually held on the second or third Saturday in December. Volunteers who lay a wreath on a grave are encouraged to take a moment to say that veteran’s name aloud and thank them for their service. It’s about remembering their lives, instead of their deaths.
The mission continues in 2016. As of Wednesday morning, a Wreaths Across America spokeswoman said approximately 130,000 individual wreath sponsorships had been received for Arlington National Cemetery. A total of 245,000 sponsorships are needed to ensure every service member buried at Arlington is honored with a wreath placement—meaning 115,000 more sponsorships are still needed to meet the goal.
But the overall need is even greater than that. Close to 1,000,000 wreaths are expected to be placed on the graves of veterans across the country-- aside from Arlington-- on December 17. Donations for locations nationally are up more than 20 percent from last year, a spokeswoman said.
How you can help:
SPONSOR A WREATH: Wreath sponsorships are $15 each, and can be purchased online. Click here for a link to donate.
The deadline for online donations for the 1,200 participating locations around the country has been extended through December 3. The deadline to sponsor a wreath at Arlington is December 14, or until the last truck of wreaths leaves Maine headed for the nation’s capital.
Sponsor a wreath around the country. Search for a specific cemetery, or find one that is participating near you. You’ll find options to donate, volunteer or see information about ceremonies planned for Dec. 17. On each page, you’ll find information about how many wreaths are needed, and how many have already been sponsored.
Sponsor a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery. A total of 245,000 remembrance wreaths are needed at our nation's most hallowed ground. If you'd like to donate one, click here.
VOLUNTEER: Help is needed at each cemetery, including Arlington, to place wreaths on National Wreaths Across America Day. If you’d like to volunteer to help, you’re encouraged to register online. Though registration isn’t required, those who register will receive updates specific to their location in advance of the event.
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