Memorial Day

Once known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day is an American holiday celebrated on the last Monday in May and honors those who have died serving their country. Historians agree that it originated during the American Civil War, honoring the many who died during those bloody conflicts.  Many states claim to have been the first but it was not until a congressional proclamation in 1966 that an 1866 Waterloo, New York observance was cited as the birthplace.

Decoration Day changed to Memorial Day, honoring all who’ve died in U.S. wars, after World War I and has been celebrated on the last Monday in May since 1971.  

Traditional customs and symbols include:

- the laying of the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery (VA)

- nationwide religious services, parades, and speeches

- graves of veterans decorated with flags, insignia, and flowers

Interested in learning more about Arlington National Cemetery?

“Most Hallowed Ground” part of the series Ken Burns: The Civil War (available on Kanopy)

Arlington National Cemetery by Bob Temple and Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by Jinnow Khalid are both available on Hoopla.
Take a virtual tour by clicking here.

Due to COVID-19, this year observations differ in many ways. For instance:

On Memorial Day weekend in 1988, 2500 motorcyclists rode into Washington, D.C. for the first Rolling Thunder rally in order to draw attention to Vietnam War soldiers still missing in action and prisoners of war. By 2002, the ride had swelled to 300,000 bikers, many of them veterans, and in 2018, the numbers were likely closer to half a million.

Though it was reported that 2019 would be the group’s last Memorial Day ride, the organization American Veterans (AMVETS) is continuing the tradition in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to WUSA9. Now known as Rolling to Remember, 2020’s ride will be a bit different—instead of hundreds of thousands of riders going through Washington, D.C., organizers are asking participants to ride 22 miles through their own community for a virtual Memorial Day demonstration on Sunday, May 24. Riders will then be able to track and share their progress using the REVER app.

Traveling 22 miles is significant, because in addition to raising awareness for soldiers missing in action and prisoners of war, AMVETS wants to bring attention to the average 22 veterans who die by suicide every day. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/27858/10-things-remember-about-memorial-day

Here are several resources available online:

Unknown Valor: A Story of Family, Courage, and Sacrifice from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima by Martha MacCallum (available on Libby/Overdrive)

Alone at Dawn: Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman and the Untold Story of the World’s Deadliest Special Operations Force by Dan Schilling & Lori Chapman Longfritz (available on Libby/Overdrive)

WAR by Sebastian Junger (available on Libby/Overdrive)

The Lost Eleven: The Forgotten Story of Black American Soldiers Brutally Massacred in World War II by Denise George (available on Hoopla)

Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley (available on Libby/Overdrive)

Behind the Lines: Powerful and Revealing American and Foreign War Letters & One Man’s Search to Find Them by Andrew Carroll (available on Hoopla)

Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s 1854 poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade (available from the Poetry Foundation)

- PBS is airing the National Memorial Day Concert on Sunday May 24, 2020 at 7pm CT.  Check your local listings for availability.

- The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is hosting a live-streamed event at 12pm CT on Monday, May 25, 2020. Visit their website for more information.

- The American Veterans Center is also hosting a television broadcast. Though this year's event is canceled, a pre-recorded television special titled, The National Memorial Day Parade: America Stands Tall, that will broadcast on Memorial Day to more than 100 million households on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox stations nationwide. Visit their website for a full list of broadcast times and channels.

As a reminder, Emmet O’Neal Library is closed to the public until further notice but will be resuming curbside pickup for library materials on Monday, June 1, 2020.  Details on how the service works will be available Tuesday, May 26. Follow our social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram and our website at www.eolib.org for the latest news on library programs and services.

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Memorial-Day

Holley