This is Memorial Day
weekend. Some people view Memorial Day
as the official start of summer, but it is a lot more than that. Sometime next Monday, the president or some
dignitary standing in for him will lay a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown
Soldier to honor the men and women of the military who have died for their
country. We will see pictures of the
tombstones at Arlington and other national cemeteries. Some of us will take time to reflect, but
others will be out grilling or boating; just celebrating a three-day
weekend.
A fair amount has been
written about the beginning of the tradition of placing flowers on the graves
of soldiers. Some say it was in Savannah
or Columbus, GA. Some say it was in Mississippi, or Ohio, or somewhere
else. It does not really matter to me
where it started, what we call it or even what day we observe it. The fact that we take time to stop, reflect
and honor those brave men and women who served this country is what really
matters to me.
I visited Arlington as
a member of a high school band. I think
that we were in Washington DC for a cherry blossom parade. I do not remember anything about the parade. What I do remember is seeing all those acres
of graves at Arlington National Cemetery; rows and rows of white marble grave
markers, each with a cross or star of David.
I also remember seeing
the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I
remember the precision of the Army guards of the 3rd Army Infantry Regiment as
they silently follow their routine of guarding the tombs, just as they have
done since 1937. He marches down the
mat behind the tomb 21 steps, turns east and pauses 21 seconds, turns north and
pauses 21 seconds, and then marches 21 steps to the other end of the mat. He does a similar set of maneuvers to get
back to his starting point. He does
this continually until the next soldier relieves him.
Each precise turn the
guard makes is followed by a click of his heels. I remember it being so quiet there, except
for the click of the soldier’s heels; so solemn, so respectful, so American!
I went up to The Bleckley County courthouse
and sat on the bench out front on Friday afternoon. As I sat there, I thought of the Unknown
Soldier’s grave. Somehow, I am afraid
that all of us think of Memorial Day as being for ever so many unknown
soldiers. I am so proud of the
people that have decorated the grounds of the courthouse for the Memorial Day
celebration in Cochran. They have placed
over 50 markers, each with the name of the fallen soldier and the war he
fought. Most of them were crosses. One had the Star of David.
I later found out that
it is not the American Legion or the VFW that puts out the flags and the
markers, but the people in the Bleckley county courthouse. There is a nice black granite marker on the
northwest quadrant of the courthouse grounds that has almost all of these names
listed by which conflict that they died in.
Nevertheless, they went to the trouble to place the markers on the
grass, each with a soldier's name and an American flag. It is a special tribute to ensure that they are
soldiers with names.
I have no idea if I
will be at the courthouse on Monday morning when the special service is held to
honor these, and others, that have died in service to
their country. Just in case I don't make it Monday, I went up there last night and called each one by name, thanked them, and said a pray of gratitude for their
service and the sacrifice that they and their families made. I also read the names of the almost 100 American
soldiers that have died since Memorial Day of 2013. It is the least I can do.
You've done it again! Thank your for sharing your Blog, but most of all, thank you for showing respect to all those who served our nation.
ReplyDeleteLinda
I have spent the last three decades enforcing boating laws on every single Memorial Day weekend. All I ever saw was people having fun, cooking out, etc. From what I have seen, very few take the time to think why they are getting to celebrate. I was watching a thing on the history channel about what a horrific fight it was when thousands of American soldiers fought an died to take the island of Guam from the Japanese. Always moving forward, as those ahead of them were being shot and blown up, but moving forward, regardless. Yet, so many now pass by memorials, never even thinking to take the time to read their names. Thank God for those who do. Bill G
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