4,563

Ever wonder about the origins of Memorial Day? I did, so I checked out http://www.usmemorialday.org/ and discovered...

"Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I. It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the National Moment of Remembrance resolution was passed in December, 2000, which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans 'To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps.'"

When I was growing up we had an American flag that we'd hang from our front porch on national holidays. I liked the rules associated with handling it. I liked watching my dad and my brothers fold and unfold it. Although I have a French flag hanging in my kitchen, I've never owned an American flag. As I grew older, the beauty of the flag's symbolism and the idea of American patriotism had been so manipulated by those who seemed to have little interest in our nation's history or its future, and who curiously enough, had never served in the military.

It's easy to forget that America is actually at war right now with all the media focused on waiting for a candidate to misstep or distorting a candidate's comments beyond recognition. I know this shit has been going on since Thomas Jefferson - but today, it seems so petty compared to what our country and our world is facing.

But no politics today.

My original intention was to list each of the 4,563 soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan but the list was too long for my blog platform to handle. So instead, I link to The Washington Post's site.

Please read at least one soldier's story. And while we are remembering, let's not forget the people of Iraq and Afghanistan the extent of whose suffering we may never know.

The Last Word

Leave it to an Elvis to get it right.

I don't own a recording of "Taps" but I do of this song. And listening to it will be how I remember the 4,563 who have lost their lives.

Recorded by Elvis Costello, written by Nick Lowe, this one is unfortunately timeless. For a modern version, you can also watch Chris Cornell.

"As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.
I ask myself Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
And each time I feel like this inside,
There's one thing I wanna know: What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
Ohhhh What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

And as I walked on Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony? Sweet harmony.
'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
Ohhhh What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony? Sweet harmony.

'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
Ohhhh What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
Ohhhh What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? "