Memorial Day 2012

Again, the United States honors all who gave their lives in military service to this country.

Three years ago, I posted the following description of how my town observes the holiday.

In my town, the ceremonies begin at 8:00 with a wreath laying at the town landing in honor of those who died at sea. Then a parade forms at the old town hall, which was also the headquarters of the Grand Army of the Republic. At 9:00, led by a grand marshal and the Board of Selectmen, it begins to march about 1/2 mile to the park where the memorials to our dead from the Civil War and subsequent wars are located. There they pause for prayers, a speech, a song, rifle salute, and Taps. Then the parade forms again and marches about a mile to the town's largest cemetery, where similar exercises take place as well as the placing of wreaths by the town, veterans' organizations and scouting groups. Then the parade returns to the old town house, approximately another mile. where the flag is hoisted from half staff to full staff, concluding the ceremonies.

In addition to the grand marshal and the selectmen, there are several marching bands, detachments of the police and fire departments, veterans' organizations, and scouting units of all levels. When I was on the Board of Selectmen, I considered it the greatest honor and privilege of office to be able to march in the parade.

Correction: The wreath laying is at 8:30.

As usual, I attended the ceremony at the park. This year, the speaker at Memorial Park was an admiral currently serving in the Navy. He began by expressing his amazement and happiness at the size of the crowd that had assembled. Then he told of the bombardment of Fort McHenry which Francis Scott Key wrote of in "The Star Spangled Banner." As he told it, during the nighttime bombardment, the flagppole was hit several times, but each time, people would go out to hold it up. Finally, "by the dawn's early light," it was being held up by the surrounding bodies of those who had perished holding it during the bombardment.

The grand marshal of this year's parade was a former Marine sergeant who participated in the landing on Iwo Jima in World War II, where he was wounded and where he also earned the Navy Cross — the medal for Navy and Marines which is second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor. I had never known that about him. All I knew was that he, his brother, and his brother-in-law were housepainters, who painted our house several times when I was a boy, and that the three of them were the fathers of classmates I had in grammar school.

Memorial Day 2011

Two years ago I posted about this holiday the day before it happened. As I write, it is Memorial Day where I live. I attended the ceremonies at Memorial Park and watched the parade as it marched off to the cemetery for further exercises. I'm really proud of my town for hoplding on to this way of observing the holiday.

later this afternoon I'll go to a homeless shelter and help cook dinner for the clients. It's something that a group I'm in does on fifth Mondays of months, which occur four times a year. I generally join once or twice, since we aren't all needed every time.

I hope everybody has a good day and takes at least a moment to remember with gratitude all those who served in our country's armed forces, especially those who gave their lives for our defense.

Memorial Day

In the United States, the last Monday in May is Memorial Day, a holiday intended specifically to remember and honor all who have given their lives in wartime military service to country. When I think of them, I often think of John 15:13, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." My thoughts also turn to those who also served and undertook the risk that they might also lose their lives, but who survived, some in good health, and some with permanent injuries or disabilities.

Regardless of our feelings about the merits of particular wars, I hope we can all respect and honor those who gave their lives in our country's service, as well as those who put themselves where they might have done the same.

So I hope all Americans will take time tomorrow to remember our war dead, and to attend any public ceremony held in your community to mark the day.

In my town, the ceremonies begin at 8:00 with a wreath laying at the town landing in honor of those who died at sea. Then a parade forms at the old town hall, which was also the headquarters of the Grand Army of the Republic. At 9:00, led by a grand marshal and the Board of Selectmen, it begins to march about 1/2 mile to the park where the memorials to our dead from the Civil War and subsequent wars are located. There they pause for prayers, a speech, a song, rifle salute, and Taps. Then the parade forms again and marches about a mile to the town's largest cemetery, where similar exercises take place as well as the placing of wreaths by the town, veterans' organizations and scouting groups. Then the parade returns to the old town house, approximately another mile. where the flag is hoisted from half staff to full staff, concluding the ceremonies.

In addition to the grand marshal and the selectmen, there are several marching bands, detachments of the police and fire departments, veterans' organizations, and scouting units of all levels. When I was on the Board of Selectmen, I considered it the greatest honor and privilege of office to be able to march in the parade.