Memorial Day - When Did It Start

When I was thinking about Memorial Day and what it means to the nation, I went to a source that is directly involved with veterans, The Department of Veterans Affairs. There is a wealth of information on their web pages including a library of historical information. The following story is gleaned for their collection from the VA's Office of Public Affairs.

THE ORIGINS of MEMORIAL DAY

Three years after the Civil War ended, the head of the organization of Union veterans - the Grand Army of the Republic - established Decoration Day on May 5, 1868. Set aside to place flowers on the graves of war dead. It was changed to May 30 by a Gen. Logan because he believed more flowers would be in bloom then.

The first observance was at Arlington Cemetery that year with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant presided over the ceremonies. Flowers were then strewn on both Union and Confederate graves.

Springtime tributes to Civil War dead had been held in various places after the conflict.  April of 1866 women visited a cemetery in Columbus, Mississippi to put flowers on Confederate graves. Union graves were neglected because they were the enemy. The women were upset by the site so they place flowers on their graves too.

A number of cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. Boalsburg, Pa., Carbondale, Ill, Macon and Columbus, Ga. as well as Richmond, Va. In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y. the "birthplace of Memorial Day.  This community wide event took place on May 5, 1866.

By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held across the nation. It wasn't until after World War I that the day was expanded to honor those who died in all the wars. Memorial was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress in 1971.

Many southern states have their own days for honoring the Confederate dead. Mississippi has Confederate Memorial Day, Texas calls theirs Confederate Heroes Day and Louisiana and Tennessee celebrates Confederate Decoration Day.

In December 2000, the U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law "The National Moment of Remembrance Act." The act encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who died in service to the nation.

If you are interested in military traditions and American history you can go to www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate_americas_freedoms.asp. This is the U.S. Department of Veterans  (VA) web site.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is approaching quickly and activity has been picking up in my office as American flags are picked up by service organizations and individuals. Henry County makes available the funds to purchase over 5,000 graveside flags. Every veteran grave in Henry County has a flag placed beside it before Memorial Day. This is just one way our veterans are honored.

Many schools invite veterans to attend Veterans Day programs. Restaurants give veterans discounts or free meals. Stores give discounts on purchases with proper ID.  A military Honor Guard is present at most veterans funerals.  These are just  a few ways that our veterans are remembered.

But what makes a veteran?  He is the teenager that crossed the ocean in the bowels of a transport ship to fight the Germans during WW II.  The young lady that cared for wounded soldiers at the battle front as they were brought into field hospitals. The young B-25 belly gunner who had his canopy shot from under him by German fighters planes and ended up hanging under the plane in his harness. The bomber continued to the target and returned to its airfield in England safely. The young lieutenant who led his platoon through the jungles and swamps of Vietnam looking for Viet Cong.

The young woman Marine who traveled across Iraq from village to village promoting good will and handing out soccer balls to children. The Air Force crew chief  who flew aboard bombers that dropped atomic bombs during Operation Teapot in the 50's. The teenage sailor who was aboard a warship that was sunk during a WW II sea battle in the Pacific.  Was rescued, assigned to another ship that was torpedoed. Survived still again, and yes, his last ship was sunk. All these veterans are Henry County residents and have done things a non veteran can't imagine. 

Not all of us were involved in combat but were an important element that supported the troops in harms way: supply, medical, training, intelligence, finance, chaplains, flight crews, electronics, mechanics, judicial, munitions, technicians, etc. The list goes on and on.

The young mother of two in the checkout line, or the elderly gentleman sharing coffee and conversation with friends at a local restaurant just might be veterans. Think about that this Memorial Day and everyday.
_____________________________________________________________________

A documentary about PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is coming to Indianapolis  on Tuesday May 24 at 7 p.m. for one night only. "Soledad O' Brian Presents: The War Comes Home - The New Battlefront." This film follows two veterans on the edge of suicide as they attend a life-changing boot camp. Healing, meditation and team-building exercises are part of the treatment over the course of five days, with the cameras recording their recovery.

The documentary will be shown at AMC Indianapolis 17 at 4325 South Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN. Call (317) 784-0989 for ticket information.

Navy in Vietnam / Brown & Blue

A US Navy veteran came to my office over a year ago to file a VA claim. As we sorted through the paperwork, he told me he joined the Navy to beat the draft. From 1940 until 1973, men were required to register for the draft. Uncle Sam would send you a letter stating where and when to report for military service. Now the military is all volunteer.

"I decided to join the Navy and see the world." He didn't want to be drafted into the US Army and end up fighting his way through the jungles of Vietnam. "After basic training, I expected to be assigned to a ship and see the world. Instead I ended up piloting a Swift Boat up and down the waterways of Vietnam." 

A Navy Swift Boat on patrol.

Patrol Craft Fast (PCF), also known as Swift Boats, were all-aluminum, 50-foot long, shallow-draft vessels.  "Every day we could hear the bullets pinging off the side of the boat."  These ships became part of the Brown-Water Navy.

Destroyers and the many other Navy ships that supported our troops in Vietnam, are classified as the Blue-Water Navy. Now why is this important to Navy vets filing claims with the VA? 

Sailors who manned small gunboats and patrol boats used in rivers, along with some of the larger ships that supported them as "mother ships," are assumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange. Thus Brown-Water.

Larger vessels operating off the coast of Vietnam in the deep waters of open oceans are considered Blue-Water and their sailors not exposed to Agent Orange.  But what if the sailors went ashore on a three day pass or to deliver supplies?  

There are still many questions as to who was exposed and who wasn't exposed. A veteran needs documentation (evidence) when filing a claim for a disability relating to Agent Orange exposure. To explore a list of diseases related to Agent Orange check out the VA web pagewww.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/.

Another site that has a large amount of information about Blue-Water ships is www.bluewaternavy.org. 

My office is located on the first floor of the Henry County Courthouse. My  hours are 7 am till noon, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Email jguglielmi@henryco.net or 765-529-4305.