Memorial Day: Why We Remember Those Who Died for Our Nation

America, sleep soundly tonight.  The Soldiers of Bravo Company will tuck you in with the power of freedom and all that it offers.  They will ask nothing in return of you and it is likely they never will.  When you see these few, these happy few, tell them you love them for their sacrifice and that you slept well tonight.
---CPT Kyle Comfort
Killed in Action May 8, 2010
Operation Enduring Freedom
3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment

During my military service at the Pentagon in Casualty Affairs Operations, I kept the above quote on my desk; it was written by a young company commander in the U.S. Army.  Captain Comfort’s eloquent and touching words are emblematic of the bravery and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, as well as a potent reminder of the meaning of the upcoming holiday weekend.

Sir William Ewart Gladstone was the celebrated English four-term Prime Minister who was known for his colorful oratories on the floor of Parliament. This 19th century statesman was renowned for many unique sayings, but he is most noted for saying this: “Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead, and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land and their loyalty to high ideals.”  This statement is both true—and profound.  It is why the United States has a 245-year history of honoring the men and women who have died while serving in the defense of our nation.  Holidays like Memorial Day reinforce our own commitment to tender mercy, respect for the rule of law, and our personal dedication to the high ideals on which America was founded.  Those ideals are more important than ever today.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States to remember all those who have died in military service to the nation. The holiday originated in the South immediately after the end of the American Civil War. Southern women in Georgia and Mississippi, grieving for the loss of a huge portion of the male population, organized “Decoration Days” on which flowers were placed on the graves of dead soldiers.  The custom quickly became popular and spread widely.  In 1868, the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans, established a day for the nation to decorate the graves of the Union soldiers who had died in the war with flowers as well.

Even though the North and South initially celebrated this event on different dates, these acts of reverence for the over 600,000 soldiers who died in that war became a symbol of what was slowly reuniting the broken nation:  Citizens of the North and South were united in their sorrow and in remembering those who died. 

By the early part of the 20th century, the competing commemorations merged and became a day to honor not just those who died in the Civil War, but for all military dead, with May 30th as the accepted date. It was chosen because it was not the anniversary date of any particular battle and because flowers would be in bloom all across the nation.  On June 28, 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday to create a convenient three-day weekend. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30th date to the last Monday in May.

There are numerous Memorial Day traditions observed around the country and overseas where U.S. troops are stationed.  One of my most meaningful memories, while serving in the Military District of Washington, was participating in a tradition called “Flags In.”  Service members from all over the D.C. area gather at Arlington National Cemetery.  Taking bundles of flags, they walk the cemetery and make sure every grave is decorated with the American Flag. For those who participate in this annual ritual, it is an honor and a poignant reminder of who we are as a nation and that there is much more that unites us than divides us.

Another American tradition involves the raising of the flag on Memorial Day: The flag is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day. The half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who have given their lives in service of their country. At noon, the flag is raised by the living, who resolve to not let the nation’s battle heroes’ sacrifices be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice.

Memorial Day is usually filled with family traditions, parades, and other commemorations in local communities.  Celebrations this year are more special by our responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that life, with its celebrations, is beginning to return to normal. It is the unofficial beginning of the summer vacation season, which runs through Labor Day, a reminder of the many freedoms, celebrations, and traditions in our nation’s communities—made possible because of the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform.

On this Memorial Day 2021, remember that military service is still inherently dangerous, no matter one’s job in the U.S. Armed Forces.  Training, deployments, and the ongoing fight against terrorism are all replete with potential risks.  Since 2001, thousands of U.S. service members have died in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other operations. We also continue to bury hundreds of veterans from World War II, that greatest generation, as well as thousands more who have served our nation sacrificially in places like Korea, Vietnam, and the First Gulf War. Take time this weekend to remember their sacrifice and to pray for their families and loved ones.

We honor those who died by remembering.  It is part of our sacred duty as Americans to simply and gratefully remember.  Memorial Day is also a quiet and insistent reminder to each of us that Freedom Is Not Free.