Memorial Day Flag Retirement Ceremony

NO TROOP MEETING MONDAY, MAY 27... WE WILL SEE ALL TROOP MEMBERS IN THEIR FULL FIELD UNIFORM AT THE FLAG RETIREMENT CEREMONY AT MT. GILEAD. INFO BELOW.

While many Americans will celebrate Memorial Day with hot dogs, hamburgers and a day off... let us not forget what this day is really all about. Memorial Day is not about 20% off sales and lounging by the pool. Memorial Day is a day of honor and respect for our fallen... and sometimes forgotten.

From the US Memorial Day website, Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America. Over two dozen cities and towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day.

Regardless of the exact date or location of its origins, one thing is clear – Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead. It was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle. On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.

 

I encourage all Troop 1910 families to engage in something meaningful this weekend to help instill in our youth a purpose for this day. Let's raise a generation that doesn't forget.

Take part in watching the National Memorial Day Parade. They will have a live feed streaming on YouTube. The parade is at 2pm EST. More on the parade can be found here.

Additionally, here is a Memorial Day Tribute you could watch with your family.

Again, I encourage ALL Troop members and their families to attend the Memorial Service at Mt. Gilead. Bring some water and a chair... The service begins promptly at 11:00am CST at the Mt. Gilead Cemetery on Keller-Smithfield Road. This event is hosted by the Mt. Gilead Cemetery Association, the Golden Triangle Rotary Club and the Keller Rotary club. This is a one-hour event inclusive of a flag retirement ceremony we will participate in.