The Arlington National Cemetery | |
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Washington -- The
Memorial Day holiday celebrated by Americans on the last
Monday of each May represents for many the unofficial beginning
of summer. An estimated 37.6 million Americans will travel
50 miles or more over the long holiday weekend, as they
seek out friends and family, beaches and amusement parks,
while others relax and enjoy the warm weather. But most
will pause at some point to recall the holiday’s true
purpose: honoring those who died defending their nation.
Memorial Day entertainments range from large
sporting events to quintessentially small-town celebrations.
The Indianapolis ("Indy") 500 motor race, by some
measures the world's largest single-day sporting event,
attracts an estimated global audience of more than 320 million.
Meanwhile, in Waterloo, New York, festivities
include an arts and crafts show and a strawberry festival.
Horse and wagon rides are available. An Abraham Lincoln
impersonator recounts the life of the nation's 16th president,
the man who preserved the Union. Those not too full from
the pizza-eating contest can compete in a 5-kilometer race.
The tiny village of Waterloo, 280 miles
(450 km) from New York City (2000 population 5,118) is where
Memorial Day began. Its story, and that of the holiday itself,
is woven deeply into the nation's history.
HISTORY OF MEMORIAL DAY
The Memorial Day Museum in Waterloo, N.Y. | | |
Encampments in Waterloo, N.Y. recreate life during the Civil War | |
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Memorial Day’s origins lie in
the American Civil War of 1861–1865. During that conflict,
which claimed the lives of more than 550,000 Americans, many
citizens began to place flowers on the graves of the war dead.
A number of northern municipalities continued these "Decoration
Days" after the war ended, but the decisive event occurred
in 1866 in tiny Waterloo, New York (2000 population 5,118),
450 kilometers from New York City.
Waterloo resident Henry C. Welles, the town's
druggist, hit on the idea of setting aside a day to honor
the nation's Civil War dead. Among his customers was John
B. Murray, who had risen to the rank of brigadier general
in the Union (northern) Army and served as clerk of Seneca
County. Murray adopted the idea as his own, and was instrumental
in Waterloo's first Decoration Day, on May 5, 1866.
Murray's circle of friends included General
John A. Logan, a commander of Union forces at the Battle
of Atlanta in 1864 and head of large and influential fraternal
organization of Union veterans. Convinced by Murray of the
need for such a holiday, Logan in 1868 designated May 30
of that year a day "for strewing with flowers, or otherwise
decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of
their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies
now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard
in the land."
Among the ceremonies held that day was one
at Arlington National Cemetery, in Virginia across the Potomac
River from Washington. President Ulysses S. Grant presided.
After the speeches and tributes, thousands of war orphans,
veterans and others decorated the graves of the Civil War
dead. There were more than 20,000 such graves at Arlington
Cemetery alone.
By the turn of the century, nearly every
state had declared Decoration Day an official holiday. After
World War I, Decoration Day expanded to honor those killed
in all of the nation's wars and after World War II become
known as Memorial Day. Congress established the federal
holiday in 1971, and fixed its observance on the last Monday
in May.
In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed
Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial
Day.
HONORING OUR WAR DEAD
President George W. Bush places wreath at Arlington
National Cemetery during 2005 Memorial Day celebration |
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In the United States, the Veterans Day
holiday recognizes all those who served in the armed forces,
during times of peace and war. Memorial Day recognizes those
who gave their lives for their nation.
The original Waterloo commemoration centered
on the decoration of soldiers' graves, the lowering of flags
to fly at half-staff, and the organization of veterans'
parades. These ceremonies continue in cities and towns across
the nation. The president or vice president typically presides
at Arlington Cemetery, and solemn observances are held at
Civil War battle sites, including Gettysburg, Pennsylvania,
and Sharpsburg (Antietam), Maryland.
At 3 p.m., a National Moment of Remembrance
unites Americans in prayer and thought as they contemplate
the sacrifices made in their behalf.
Thus, even as Americans enjoy their long
weekend and the prospect of summer, they also can be found
in more somber moods. Wreaths will be laid, thanks given
and heads bowed in recognition of those who made the ultimate
sacrifice.
For additional information on U.S. celebrations,
see "Veterans
Day" and "An
Overview of American Holidays."
More
information about Memorial Day in Waterloo is available
on the town’s Web site.
Michael Jay Friedman
Washington File Staff Writer
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Memorial Day Medley