Memories of the Fallen

AND TRIBUTES TO THOSE WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE

by Sharon Rondeau

(May 26, 2014) — Memorial Day began as Decoration Day to honor Union soldiers who died during the War Between the States on May 30 every year.

The tradition began in 1868 with ceremonies held on different dates for the South and North, respectively.  At Arlington National Cemetery, flags were placed on the graves of both Confederate and Northern soldiers.  However, in 1866, the town of Waterloo, NY held the first “Decoration Day” on May 5.

In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day to be the last Monday in May.  On December 28, 2000, just prior to leaving office, President William Jefferson Clinton designated 3:00 p.m. as the National Moment of Remembrance on Memorial Day.

The day is “the most solemn American holiday.”  A moving video tribute to the fallen is here.

Up to as many as 50,000 colonial soldiers and civilians died during battle or from disease in the American Revolutionary War.  One researcher found the 3,289 U.S. military died during the Spanish-American War.  In the American Civil War, approximately 618,000 died. More than 116,000 American soldiers were killed in World War I; 118 died in the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961; 407,000 soldiers in World War II; almost 34,000 in the Korean War; more than 47,000 in the Vietnam War; 241 Marines and other soldiers in the barracks bombing of 1983 in Lebanon; 149 in the 1991 Gulf War; 3,527 in the Iraq War, which ended in 2011; and 1,742 in the war in Afghanistan which began a month after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

Hundreds of thousands more have been injured and severely maimed.

On Sunday, Rep. Darrell Issa asked for Twitter followers to share photos of fallen relatives and other loved ones from various wars.

Tweeters responded by attaching photos of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice from World War I, World War II, the Korean conflict, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Veterans Administration sent out a photo of the Memorial Day parade in Washington, DC on Monday under the hashtag #MemorialDay in which all branches of the military were represented.

Issa published a photo of an American soldier who was the first to lose his life in the Spanish-American War in 1898.

Some photos include veterans who are still living.

James Carafano of The Heritage Foundation wrote, “Some were drafted. Some were volunteers. Some were brave beyond human understanding. Many were mere mortals who just wanted to serve and go home.

“We mourn their loss, but we also celebrate their service — for they shared in common the sacred belief that this was, and remains, a nation worth fighting for.”

One photo partially obscuring the young man’s face was captioned “Billy Stack S2c 17 year old Irish immigrant who never came home from Guadalcanal,” but upon clicking the link, opened up to an incredibly young face with a confident smile.

On Monday, Fr. Larry Snyder, President of Catholic Charities USA, wrote, in part:

“On this day, we especially remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Since 2001, 6,809 members of our military have been killed in active war zones, leaving 6,809 families back home with a permanent scar that will never fully heal. While Memorial Day is a worthwhile day of remembrance and gratitude, we should not let it be the extent of our support for those left behind. One day a year is not sufficient to express our gratitude or go out of our way to support the families impacted, but it can be a start of a commitment to remember and address the unique needs of the ones who have protected us, as well as their families.”

Others being remembered today died at Iwo Jima; during the Battle of the Bulge; in Bolivia; in Kunar Province, Afghanistan; Italy in 1945; in the Battle of Saipan; and during the invasion of Normandy, France.

Parades and solemn ceremonies were held around the country over the long weekend.

In “The Green Fields of France,” singer John McDermott asks:

Did the band play the Last Post and Chorus…Did the pipes play “The Flowers of the Forest?”