Remembrance: The Strewing of Flowers

"This weekend, we mark the [154th] anniversary of the first official observation of the holiday we now call Memorial Day, as established by General John A. Logan’s “General Order No. 11” of the Grand Army of the Republic dated May 5, 1868. This order reads in part: “The 30th day of May 1868 is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers and otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.” Logan’s order in fact ratified a practice that was already widespread, both in the North and the South, in the years immediately following the Civil War.

It’s hard to get Americans in this day and age to remember the true meaning of Memorial Day. Alas, for too many, Memorial Day has come to mean nothing more than another three-day weekend, albeit the one on which the beaches open, signifying the beginning of summer. Unfortunately, the tendency to see the holiday as merely an opportunity to attend a weekend cook-out obscures even the vestiges of what the day was meant to observe: a solemn time, serving both as catharsis for those who fought and survived, and to ensure that those who follow will not forget the sacrifice of those who died that the American Republic and the principles that sustain it, might live. ... 

By all means, have a hot dog or a hamburger this weekend. If you’re close to a beach or a lake, take advantage of the nice weather and go. But on Memorial Day, take some time to remember the John Bobos and the Paul Ray Smiths who died to make your weekend possible."-- Mac Owens

And the rest of your year, for that matter.

The President and First Lady place flags at Arlington before leaving to visit our allies in Japan

President Trump at the Celebration of Military Mothers and Spouses Event, 2019:

"This afternoon, I want to express our incredible appreciation to all of you: the moms serving our nation in uniform, the mothers of our great heroes, and the moms with spouses who serve in the armed forces.

Your unwavering dedication and support strengthens our entire nation.  Today, we honor you.  We celebrate you.  We salute you and everything that you do — so many things, so many great things — for our country.

To the active-duty moms here today: We thank you for your courage, and we applaud your noble service.  You have two of the most important jobs in the world: bravely defending America from our enemies and helping to raise the next generation of American patriots.  You have spent Mother’s Days — (applause) — and, you know — come on, let’s go.  (Applause.)  Let’s go.

You have spent Mother’s Days on ships out at sea, on bases in faraway lands, and staring down foreign threats in very, very dangerous areas.  And you’ve done it all out of love for family, for country, and for duty.  Our nation is forever in your debt.  Thank you very much.  Great job.  Incredible job.  (Applause.)

We’re also honored to be joined today by the moms whose spouses are serving in the military.  We know that you also make that tremendous sacrifice for your country — so much so.  They would never be as successful without you, I have to tell you.  (Laughter and applause.)  And most of them know that.  Most of them.  I’m not sure all of them know that, but most of them know that, right?  (Laughter.)  When you married an American warrior — which is exactly what they are — you became part of an elite group of heroes.

As military spouses, you help carry your families through frequent moves and long deployments.  You uplift your communities, care for your fellow military families, and sustain our service members through their most difficult battles.

We want military spouses to be able to pursue their careers and help their families thrive.

Finally, to the moms in this room who raised children that grew up to join the United States Armed Forces, you have given our country a gift beyond measure.  You raised your children to live by the sacred values of loyalty, bravery, patriotism and service.

The greatest honor of my life is serving as your Commander-in-Chief.  This extraordinary group of men and women — and there’s nobody like you on the face of the Earth — the heroes of the American Armed Forces are more courageous, selfless, and fearless than any fighting force in all of human history.  So true.

And we had a very depleted military.  You know it better than I did.  And now it’s raring.  It’s just something special.  Hopefully, we don’t have to use it.  They’re going to look at it, and they’re going to say, “We don’t want to mess with them.”  Right?  (Laughter.)  "We don’t want to mess with them."

And I just have to say that our nation is eternally grateful to our military mothers.  Your love and devotion and sacrifice keeps America safe, strong, proud, and free.  Today, and every day, we thank God for our military moms.  You have always been there for us, and my administration will always be there for you.  And you know that.  You know that.  (Applause.)

So I just want to finish by saying — to let me, once again, wish everyone in this room a very, very Happy Mother’s Day.  You are very special people.  I don’t even know if you know how special you are.  You work so hard.  Sometimes you don’t realize it.  But you are very, very special people.

And I want to just say, God bless you and God bless our great country. God bless America. Thank you very much."...….

Excerpts from President Reagan at Arlington, 1982:

"Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply. It has a cost; it imposes a burden. And just as they whom we commemorate were willing to sacrifice, so too must we -- in a less final, less heroic way -- be willing to give of ourselves.

We must understand enough about our world to see the value of our alliances. We must be wise enough about ourselves to listen to our allies, to work with them, to build and strengthen the bonds between us.

Our understanding must also extend to potential adversaries. We must strive to speak of them not belligerently, but firmly and frankly. And that's why we must never fail to note, as frequently as necessary, the wide gulf between our codes of morality. And that's why we must never hesitate to acknowledge the irrefutable difference between our view of man as master of the state and their view of man as servant of the state. Nor must we ever underestimate the seriousness of their aspirations to global expansion. The risk is the very freedom that has been so dearly won.

The willingness of some to give their lives so that others might live never fails to evoke in us a sense of wonder and mystery. One gets that feeling here on this hallowed ground, and I have known that same poignant feeling as I looked out across the rows of white crosses and Stars of David in Europe, in the Philippines, and the military cemeteries here in our own land. Each one marks the resting place of an American hero and, in my lifetime, the heroes of World War I, the Doughboys, the GI's of World War II or Korea or Vietnam. They span several generations of young Americans, all different and yet all alike, like the markers above their resting places, all alike in a truly meaningful way.

Winston Churchill said of those he knew in World War II they seemed to be the only young men who could laugh and fight at the same time. A great general in that war called them our secret weapon, ``just the best darn kids in the world.'' Each died for a cause he considered more important than his own life. Well, they didn't volunteer to die; they volunteered to defend values for which men have always been willing to die if need be, the values which make up what we call civilization. And how they must have wished, in all the ugliness that war brings, that no other generation of young men to follow would have to undergo that same experience.

As we honor their memory today, let us pledge that their lives, their sacrifices, their valor shall be justified and remembered for as long as God gives life to this nation. And let us also pledge to do our utmost to carry out what must have been their wish: that no other generation of young men will every have to share their experiences and repeat their sacrifice.

Earlier today, with the music that we have heard and that of our National Anthem -- I can't claim to know the words of all the national anthems in the world, but I don't know of any other that ends with a question and a challenge as ours does: Does that flag still wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? That is what we must all ask."...….

And answer.

Strewn

USS Wasp--UPDATE: The Commander-in-Chief addresses the crew for Memorial Day