Land of the Free, Because of the Brave
Each year, the last Monday of May is observed to honor the men and women who died while serving in the United States military. Formerly known as Decoration Day, this tradition originated following the Civil War and became a federal holiday known as Memorial Day in 1971. Some dispute when the first remembrance occurred, but one of the earliest Memorial Day commemorations on record was organized by a group of former slaves in Charlestown, South Carolina shortly after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865.
When Decoration Day began in 1865, it honored African American Union Soldiers that had been buried in a Confederate prison camp mass gravesite. The surviving men and women worked meticulously to move the bodies of those buried in the mass graves and give each of them proper burials at new gravesites. They decorated their new resting place as a sign of remembrance and respect.
That tradition continues to this day.
On May 30, 1868, thousands gathered at Arlington National Cemetery for the first official Decoration Day ceremony. Before placing flowers or wreaths on the gravesites, then Ohio Congressman James Garfield said this: “We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens.” He further stated, “For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue.”
Garfield would later become President of the United States, but his words of gratitude that day in Arlington would forever set the tone for honoring those that have asked the least and sacrificed the most. These brave souls understood that true patriotism is a love of country and a true consciousness of its worth. Something that is lost on many in America today.
As we remember and honor the fallen, Memorial Day provides a great opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices made by these heroes. The act of giving up one’s life for the greater good is a vital component to the prolongation of the American way of life. A soldier’s meaning of patriotism is complex and far-reaching, but it’s absolute. There’s no need to question their intentions or motivations, a simple thank for serving will suffice.
Thank you to all my fellow Veterans past and present. You have my utmost gratitude and respect. It has been both an honor and privilege to stand with every one of you.
May God bless all of you.
Vincent Cavaleri
Silent Majority Foundation