Wreaths Across America – Saturday, December 10th

Wreaths Across America

Tomorrow communities all across America will gather together to honor our fallen veterans during the annual Wreaths Across America Day.

Wreaths at Arlington

Morrill Worcester

Wreaths Across America began 20 years ago when the Morrill Worcester, owner of the Worcester Wreath Company in Harrington, Maine, decided to donate live wreaths and have them placed on the headstones at Arlington National Cemetery.  Military families expressed profound appreciation for this gesture, pointing out how difficult and emotional the holiday season can be for a veteran’s family.

Ceremony Locations for tomorrow

Over 600 ceremonies will be held throughout the country tomorrow, in national cemeteries, public and private graveyards, and in State House ceremonies in all 50 states, all to honor those veterans who have given the ultimate sacrifice. 

Wreaths on the prairie

Fresh evergreen wreaths will be placed to honor of each branch of the service, Army, Marines, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, and MIA/POW, along with wreaths put on individual graves.  In Arlington Cemetery alone over 100,000 wreaths will be placed.

WAA Poster

The objective of Wreaths Across America is to teach the younger generation about the sacrifices that war can require and offer an appropriate manner to honor those who have served.  “Remember, Honor and Teach” is their motto.  Most ceremony coordinators will offer a short briefing on the proper etiquette of laying a wreath.  Youth organizations and school groups across the country will be taking part.

Truck convoy of wreaths

Parade route down the East Coast

A parade of escorts, friends and trucks started in Maine on Sunday, December 6^th, scheduled to arrive at Arlington with fresh wreaths gathered throughout the trip for tomorrow’s ceremonies. During the 5-day journey, the motorcade stopped in communities all along the East Coast, spreading the word and encouraging Americans to “Remember, Honor and Teach.”   The Patriot Guard Riders escorted them to veterans’ homes, schools, and monuments all along the way.

A Veteran remembers

It is expected that over 400,000 wreaths will be placed tomorrow throughout cemeteries in all fifty of the United States.  Over 160,000 volunteers, many veterans, will take part in the events.

Honoring our fallen

If you are interested in attending a ceremony or taking part, check out their website at Wreaths Across America, http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/

Or connect with Wreaths Across America on their Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/WAAHQ

~ Joy

(All photos courtesy of Wreaths Across America website and Facebook pages.) 

Celebrating Our Freedom on July 4th

Signing of the Declaration

July 4^th is a special date for Americans.  Two hundred thirty five years ago, on this day, in 1776, our country officially declared its separation and freedom from Great Britain.  And each year, on Independence Day, we still celebrate in hundreds of towns and cities across the country, with parades, picnics, barbecues, and fireworks. 

Lexington, Kentucky
Military Cemetery

Although we may have our differences as individuals, as a country, we still believe that America is the ‘land of the free and the home of the brave.’  As a people, we still honor those who have fought, and those who have died, for our rights, our freedoms, and our country. 

And that sense of pride in this country can be seen in cemeteries too.  Unlike Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day – both holidays to honor those who have served, and those who have died for our country - July 4^th is a day that holds a feeling of pride and promise. 

Martin Luther King

Marine Band

We will remember our fallen service men and women on this day, but we will also remember those who returned.  We will remember those who have made a difference in our culture, those who have fought to end racism, to end sexism, to end discrimination of all kinds, those who have helped to unify us as one nation, with liberty and justice for all.

In America, we have many symbols that represent freedom, symbols that are found in our cemeteries across the country.  Symbols that remind and give hope to all who see them.

Although 235 years old, these words from the Declaration of Independence continue to ring true:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. 

 That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

As we enjoy this holiday weekend, let us pause and remember what we are celebrating – our freedom and independence – as individuals, communities, and as a country!

Happy Birthday America!

~ Joy

And – to our neighbors to the north – Happy Canada Day!

The Reason for Memorial Day

In the U.S., we celebrate Memorial Day on the last Monday of May. But over the years the real reason for the observance has been diminished.  It is not about having a three-day weekend or the opening of the pool; it’s also not about having a parade, watching the Indy 500 or the ‘official’ start of summer.  It is a day set aside to remember and honor those who sacrificed their lives, fighting in wars, for this country’s freedom.

John A. Logan

Decoration Day was officially decreed on May 5, 1868 by General John A. Logan, the first Commander in Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, to honor those who died fighting in the Civil War. It was first observed that same year, on May 30th at Arlington Cemetery when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers. Many women’s groups took up the practice of decorating the graves of the war dead with flowers and flags each May 30^th, thereafter. 

In a speech given at Arlington Cemetery in 1870, Logan asked, “Shall we, the freest of all nations, in our paradise of liberty feel less patriotic fire in our breasts...? Shall we neglect the graves of those who sacrificed their lives to defend the palladium of our liberty, to perpetuate our national unity, and shield our rights forever? ...”

By 1882 the name Memorial Day was being used interchangeably with Decoration Day.  By 1890, every state in the north had declared Memorial Day as an official holiday.

The South, however, refused to acknowledge Memorial Day, insisting on honoring their dead on other days throughout the spring.  After World War I, the observance was declared to be in honor and remembrance of all who died fighting for America in any war. Though many states in the South still have a separate day to honor the Confederate dead, Memorial Day is now observed throughout the country on the last Monday in May.

At the start of the twentieth century, Memorial Day had evolved into an occasion to remember not only the war dead, but deceased family members and ancestors as well.  Buggies were hitched up, picnic baskets were prepared, and flowers were gathered for the journey to the cemetery to decorate the graves of loved ones and soldiers, alike.

VFW Buddy Poppies

During WWI, Moina Michael started the tradition of wearing a red poppy in honor of those who died during war.  In 1922, just before Memorial Day, the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) organization became the first war veterans group to sell red poppies nationally. 

In the late 1950’s, the 3^rd U.S. Infantry began placing small American flags by each of the gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery.  The practice continues today with over 260,000 flags being posted, one by each grave.  Communities and cemeteries across the country hold similar ceremonies, including the laying of wreathes, the placing of flags and the lighting of candles – all in remembrance and in honor of those who died while in military service.

In 1967, the name was officially changed from Decoration Day to Memorial Day. Then in 1968, Congress passed the National Holiday Act, which specified that Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day and Washington’s Birthday would always fall on a Monday, thereby ensuring convenient three-day weekends.  The law took effect in 1971 marking Memorial Day as an official federal holiday. There have been attempts by several organizations and some political officials to return to the traditional date of May 30^th, but the proposed revisions do not appear to have had much support.

On May 30, 1870, General Logan gave an address in honor of the new commemorative holiday. In it he said: 

"This Memorial Day, on which we decorate their graves with the tokens of love and affection, is no idle ceremony with us, to pass away an hour; but it brings back to our minds in all their vividness the fearful conflicts of that terrible war in which they fell as victims.... Let us, then, all unite in the solemn feelings of the hour, and tender with our flowers the warmest sympathies of our souls! Let us revive our patriotism and love of country by this act, and strengthen our loyalty by the example of the noble dead around us...."

This weekend, when we gather with friends for the first picnic of the summer, when we watch the Indy 500, when we go to the weekend’s parade or festival, let us consider the real reason for this day and take a moment to remember those who have served, and honor those who lost their lives in service to our country.  Memorial Day is not just a day of celebration – but also a day to celebrate being American! And for remembering the price other Americans have paid.

~ Joy

Random Acts of Cemetery Kindness

Yesterday was Random Acts of Kindness day.  If you’re a genealogist, you’ve probably encountered Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness.  So I thought, why not random acts of cemetery kindness?  What could we do to help assist, maintain, and preserve our cemeteries?

Here are just a few of the ideas we tombstone tourists could implement for the betterment of cemeteries and burial grounds.

•  Help keep the cemetery clean.  Pick up trash and dispose of it properly.

• Offer to take photos of gravestones for other genealogists who live far away. Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness http://www.raogk.org/ can help you get started.  So, too, can your local genealogical or history society.

• Search for death records, cemetery records or wills for other genealogists in need.

• Offer to assist in documenting a cemetery for genealogical purpose.  Help your local or state society put that information on the Internet so others may use it to locate their relatives.

• Offer to conduct walking tours for school groups and visitors at the local cemetery.

• Place broken monument parts by their stone.  Let the Cemetery Sexton’s office know about it.  If they cannot make the repairs, offer to assist or find someone who can.

 

 • Check with the cemetery sexton/groundskeeper to see if you can assist with any grounds cleanup projects.  Many times small cemeteries welcome help with mowing, trimming, weeding, raking and fence repairs.

• Are you good at surveying or platting?  Volunteer your services to a cemetery.

 

• Contact a veterans group and volunteer to assist them in placing flags or wreaths at the graves of veterans.  Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Christmas are some of their busiest times.

• If you are a veteran, offer to serve in a military funeral honor detail.

• If you can play the bugle, offer to play Taps at a veteran’s funeral.

• If you know of an abandoned or forgotten cemetery, contact the preservation society in your state and let them know where it is.

• Take a cemetery restoration workshop.  Most states offer this training.

• We can sponsor a section of roadway in order to keep it maintained, so why not consider sponsoring a section of a cemetery? Your company, society, church, organization or children’s group can assist in keeping it well tended.

And it goes without saying; if you find any signs of illegal activities or vandalism, report them immediately to the cemetery sexton and the authorities.

Contact your local genealogical society, historical society, veterans association, or cemetery sexton’s office and offer to assist them in doing whatever is needed in the cemetery.

Want to do even more?  Join a cemetery association locally or where your ancestors are buried.  Contact your state’s cemetery preservation association for opportunities and training.  And consider joining a group like the Association for Gravestone Studies http://www.gravestonestudies.org/welcome.htm

According to President, Ian W. Brown, in his welcome message, “If you share an interest in art, history, genealogy, archaeology, anthropology, conservation or material culture” then you are invited to join in their efforts.

Remember, random acts of kindness make us, and others, feel good about the world.   So let’s offer some random acts of cemetery kindness in the spirit of giving back to those who’ve gone before us, to the land, and to our ancestors.  You know they would be proud!

(Can you think of more Random Acts of Cemetery Kindness?  Please, let’s hear them!)

~ Joy