25 May 2020 — 1259 mdt
Memorial Day notes
According to the veterans administration, Memorial Day, then known as Decoration Day, was observed first in 1868:
Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.
The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
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It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day. It was then also placed on the last Monday in May, as were some other federal holidays.
Traditionally, Memorial Day begins with a sunrise service. It’s a solemn ritual, usually beginning with a moment of silence. That afternoon, family and friends of the fallen hold picnics, to gather in fellowship and joy to celebrate and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Over the years, of course, Memorial Day has become the national holiday marking the end of spring and the beginning of summer, the conclusion of a fun weekend at the beach, an automobile racetrack, a festival in the park, and, of course, baseball games at every level; a weekend of large crowds packed shoulder-to-shoulder. With the coronavirus still on the loose, that’s risky behavior.
And a lot of people seem to be returning to it, baseball games excepted (major league baseball probably won’t reopen this year). Friday evening, I was at Albertsons/Osco picking up an urgently needed medication I’d just been prescribed. Albertsons does a pretty good job of helping people maintain social distancing — markers on the floor, one-way aisles — but a lot of customers were ignoring, aggressively, safe practices. After that, I decided to stay home today. Having endursed frustrating months of being locked down, a lot of people are reverting to pre-coronavirus behavior that endangers the community.
Tomorrow I’ll have more on my Friday evening experience. Meanwhile, please wear your masks and maintain your distance.