Memorial Day: The Story Behind the Holiday
Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a time set aside to honor the Nation’s Civil War dead by decorating their graves. It was first widely observed on May 30th, 1868 to honor the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers. During the first celebration of Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers.
Today, more than 260,000 people are buried in the Arlington National Cemetery. Let us take this day to remember those many brave men and women who have fought and died for our Country and our freedom.
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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,
He’d stand out in a crowd.
I thought how many men like him
had fallen through the years.
How many had died on foreign soil?
How many mothers’ tears?
How many pilots’ 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 draped a coffin
of a Brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
of 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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We here at Triangle Vitamins would like to remind you to take a moment today to thank a soldier for risking their lives for our Country.
STAY HEALTHY and HAVE A GREAT MEMORIAL DAY!
