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Memorial Day 2014
Throughout
the years of history's
story
Our
soldiers stand
in wondrous glory
Of
every war they've
fought with
pride
To
stand for truth
all side by side
To
march in battles
we have won
To
stand with
courage all as
one
With
colors bright of
great appeal
Our
soldiers through
our life reveal
They
are the
champions of
each cause
They
stand and fight
and give their
all
No
matter what the
danger there
They
forge ahead while
we're aware
That
freedom reigns
for everyone
Because
of all that they
have done
To
make us one and
keep us strong
One
Nation proud
that they belong
Each
one our child
that makes us
say
So
grateful that
you came our way
For
you're the ones
who keep us free
With
constant quote
"We'll
always be"
Thank
you for the time
you gave
For
all the love our
hearts will save
With
all our soldiers
then and now
You
gave us courage
with your vow
To
honor serve and
do your best
With
pride and
courage we are
blest
So
here's to you
and all you gave
Our hero's
hearts in
constant wave
Names
all etched
within a place
Throughout
the ages all
embraced
Standing
tall through
every fight
We
see their glow
of
"Freedom's
Light."
~
Francine
Pucillo(c)
~
Three of us together
We hold our Flag up high
With love and honor always
As colors fill the sky
We pause here for a moment
So each of you will know
Were perfectly united
We love our country so
Each one of us give tribute
For freedom that does reign
In every part of county
Allegiance all the same
Me and my two companions
No matter where we go
Thankful for our freedom
With honor now we show
So join us in this moment
To honor what is best
America United
In God we Trust so blest.
~Poem by Francine Pucillo~
Sammy and Meowmie
Aurora:
Happy Memorial Day from both of us!
Freedom Is Not Free
I watched the flag pass by one day,
it fluttered in the breeze,
A young marine saluted it, and then,
he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform,
so young, so tall, so proud;
with hair cut square and eyes alert,
he'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him,
had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mother's tears?
How many pilot's planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers graves?
NO, freedom is not free
I heard the sound of taps one night,
when everything was still.
I listened to the Bugler play,
and felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times,
that taps had meant "amen".
When a flag had covered a coffin,
of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
of the mothers and the wives,
of fathers, sons, and husbands,
with interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard,
at the bottom of the sea,
of unmarked graves in Arlington,
NO, freedom is not free.
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Within the book of heroes
These names shall all stand out
With love for God and Country
For them there was no doubt
For courage born inside them
Was paved along their way
Each one throughlife we honor
Within our hearts will stay
They walk the fields of glory
In finest of God's glow
Upon our lives a shadow
Forever we shall know
For courage in an instant
Will live on endlessly
For every solider marching
Their steps heard constantly
To God and Man the glory
Of every shining Light
That brought to us a victory
With most courageous fight
Their names in life be written
For heroes came our way
Upon the soil of foreign fields
Their thunder heard each day.
History of Memorial Day
Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service to our country. It began during the Civil War when organized women's groups in several towns throughout the South decorated the graves of the Confederate war dead with flowers, wreaths and flags. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5th, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on May 30, 1868.
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day to remember those who have died in our nation's service. After the Civil war many people in the North and South decorated graves of fallen soldiers with flowers. In the Spring of 1866, Henry C. Welles, a druggist in the village of Waterloo, NY, suggested that the patriots who had died in the Civil War should be honored by decorating their graves. General John B. Murray, Seneca County Clerk, embraced the idea and a committee was formed to plan a day devoted to honoring the dead. Townspeople made wreaths, crosses and bouquets for each veteran's grave. The village was decorated with flags at half mast. On May 5 of that year, a processional was held to the town's cemeteries, led by veterans. The town observed this day of remembrance on May 5 of the following year as well.
Decoration Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed officially on May 30, 1868. The South did not observe Decoration Day, preferring to honor their dead on separate days until after World War I. In 1882, the name was changed to Memorial Day, and soldiers who had died in other wars were also honored.
In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday to be held on the last Monday in May.
Today, Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of the summer season in the United States. It is still a time to remember those who have passed on, whether in war or otherwise. It also is a time for families to get together for picnics, ball games, and other early summer activities.
Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington National Cemetery each year with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. Traditionally, the President or Vice President lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The occasion is also marked in almost every State on the last Monday in May. Several southern states, however, have an additional, separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.
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May 26, 2014
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