The Honor they're due...

Parades. Marching Bands. Cemetery Memorials. Gun salutes. They've all become a part of what we, in America, proudly celebrate as Memorial Day. But why the celebration?

What started in the mid-1800's as a day to decorate graves in honor of the Civil War dead is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May, though several southern states have an additional day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 in Louisiana and Tennessee.

The National Holiday Act of 1971 was passed by Congress to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays. However, many feel that when Congress made Memorial Day into a three-day weekend, it made it all the easier for people to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day. As the VFW stated in its 2002 Memorial Day address: "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."

To help remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed in Dec. 2000 which asks that on Memorial Day, at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps."

Ever been approached by a veteran in uniform offering you an artificial poppy? Have any clue what for? It too, is associated with Memorial Day. The red poppy, which became associated with war after the publication of a poem written by Col. John McCrae of Canada, "In Flander's Field," describes blowing red fields among the battleground of the fallen. Since that time the VFW's Buddy Poppy program, which sells the poppies made by disabled veterans, has raised millions of dollars in support of veterans and their dependents.

So, enjoy the three-day weekend, but let this Memorial Day also serve to remind us all that there are thousands who've given their lives that we might enjoy the freedoms we often take for granted in this the "land of the free and home of the brave" (Francis Scott Key, "The Star-Spangled Banner").