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The History and Traditions of Memorial Day
Rate it! Votes (1) | Comments (0) By Cheri Sicard Posted August 6th, 2007

In 1866, as the United States was recovering from a long and bloody civil war, Henry Welles, a drugstore owner in Waterloo, New York, had the idea that all the shops in town should close for one day to honor the Northern soldiers buried there. And so it came to pass that on the morning of May 5, the townspeople decorated the graves of the soldiers with flowers, wreaths and crosses.

At roughly the same time period, Retired Major General Jonathan A. Logan planned another ceremony in Waterloo called Decoration Day, honoring soldiers who survived the war. Veterans marched through town to the cemetery to adorn their compatriot's graves with flags. The two ceremonies joined forces in 1868. By 1882, Decoration Day became known as Memorial Day and the tribute extended to soldiers who had died in all previous wars. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed Waterloo the birthplace of Memorial Day, 100 years after the first celebration. In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared Memorial Day a federal holiday to be celebrated on the last Monday in May.

Memorial Day at Arlington
The nation's largest national cemetery, Arlington, provides an especially poignant location to observe Memorial Day. On the Friday morning before Memorial Day, soldiers of the Third U.S. infantry walk along the rows of Arlington's headstones, stopping to place a small American flag next to each veteran's grave. You'll also find the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington, which actually houses four graves: one from each of the World Wars, one from the Korean Conflict and one from the Vietnam War. Guarded year round, twenty-four hours a day by soldiers from the Army's Third Infantry, on Memorial Day, the President or Vice President gives a speech and lays a wreath on the tomb. Armed forces members shoot a rifle salute into the air in solemn tribute.

Honor Veterans at National Cemeteries Around the Country
On July 17, 1862, President Lincoln signed legislation authorizing the federal government to buy land for use as national cemeteries "for soldiers who shall have died in the service of the country." Until then, those lost in battle were usually buried in fields and churchyards close to the hospitals, battlefields and prison camps where they died.

After the Civil War, Army crews tried to locate, exhume and rebury deceased Union soldiers in our original 14 national cemeteries. The need for space was vastly underestimated as the five year reinterment process necessitated the building of fifty more cemeteries.

The original National cemeteries also became the final resting place of many Confederate prisoners of war who were buried with honor, although Congress wouldn't approve paying to mark their graves with headstones until 1906.

Eventually, our National Cemeteries expanded their reach to welcome all veterans of the United States Armed Forces, American war veterans of allied forces, as well as veterans' spouses and dependent children. Those eligible for burial in a National Cemetery are given a gravesite and headstone or marker. The Veteran's Administration makes sure the graves are perpetually cared for at no cost to the veteran's family or heirs.

Our National Cemeteries offer ample opportunities for Americans to honor our deceased military on Memorial Day or any time of year. Covering more than 10,000 acres of land, fifty-five of our one hundred and fourteen national cemeteries have used up all their available gravesites.

Memorial Day Flag Etiquette
American flags should be flown at half-mast on Memorial Day to honor our lost veterans.

Why Wear Poppies on Memorial Day?
The wearing of small paper poppies, known as "Buddy Poppies" has been a patriotic Memorial Day tradition since 1923. Made by disabled and aging veterans in VA Hospitals and homes across the country, the poppies provide money to assist the veterans and their families. Sold by local VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) posts, Buddy Poppy proceeds do not profit any VFW unit, but rather go directly to help veterans in need. The VFW was granted all Trademark Rights to the name "Buddy Poppy" in 1924, which means no other organization or individual can use that name. The "Buddy Poppy" label provides the public a way of knowing they are getting the real deal.

So why poppies? The tradition stems from John McCrae's 1915 war poem "In Flanders Field," which speaks of the poppy covered Flanders Field United States military cemetery in Belgium, where the bodies of 368 World War I veterans are buried. It seems poppies only grow in rooted up soil, and because of the war, the soil had been churned to such a degree that poppies bloomed in abundance. This is the site that greeted poet McCrae at Flanders Field and the rest is history.

For the full history of the VFW's Buddy Poppies Program or to donate to the VFW visit www.vfw.org.

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