Fallen…But Not Forgotten
By Mark Goldstein

To many, Memorial Day is just another three-day weekend. It is a day for picnics, family get-togethers and a lot of fun and games. Up North it is the unofficial start to summer when most of the public swimming pools are open for the first time. However, for those who have had a loved one fall in combat, this day means so much more.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed by General John Logan, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize Memorial Day as a holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the Northern states. The Southern states refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days, until after World War I when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war. It is now celebrated on the last Monday in May.

Traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored and neglected. To help reeducate 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.”

As we pause and reflect this year on all of the brave men and women who have served, and continue to serve, or country, and the thousands who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the case of peace, let’s offer a prayer of thanksgiving to our loving god who gives us ultimate peace through Jesus Christ.