Growing up, I remember going with my mom and grandmother to the local cemetery to 'decorate' the graves of family members on Memorial Day. We did this every single year until my grandmother got sick; the following Memorial Day, my mother and I placed flowers on my grandmother's grave as well.
Just to the south of the area where our relatives were buried was a much older area of the cemetery with tarnished grave markers, many of which had dates of death in the 1860s. Remarkably, those same individuals' birth dates were typically in the 1840s. These were the graves of Civil War soldiers. Many of them contained the names of the battles in which they had been killed.
The Civil War was the most lethal war fought in our Nation's History. Not tens of thousands, but hundreds of thousands, more than six hundred thousand. That's 150% of the number killed in World War II, almost six times as many killed in World War I, and more than ten times as many as killed in the Vietnam War.
Even in the late 1950s and early 1960s, members of Veterans organizations were still going to the cemeteries across America to place flags or red poppy badges on the graves of those killed more than one hundred years prior; in the same way, my family remembered our relatives.
You see, even before the end of the Civil War, the widows of fallen soldiers had started decorating the graves of those killed in action. Some had been laid to rest in battlefield cemeteries, and others had been returned home for interment. The widows cared not whether the soldier was Union or Confederate; they memorialized them all equally. That was the start of "Decoration Day," formally proclaimed on May 5, 1868, to be each May 30.
Then, in 1890, our country formally recognized the last Monday of May each year as "Memorial Day." During my time spent in the Boy Scouts, my troop, among many others, remembered the holiday by placing small flags on the graves of soldiers in our local cemeteries. It was a time-honored tradition of recognizing all those who had sacrificed their lives for our freedom.
Some smaller communities continue traditional Memorial Day observances. Still, far too many places around our country view Memorial Day as a part of American history they wish would fade away faster. So, except for our hallowed National Cemeteries, the graves of fallen soldiers are increasingly ignored and, in some cases, go neglected.
But for those who have lost family members in the military, this holiday will forever be a day of remembrance. It is cherished as a time-honored tradition where a red poppy is pinned to a family member's lapel and a small American flag is placed next to their loved one's grave marker. It is a time when family, veterans, and military members kneel to honor those who gave their full measure of devotion in service to our Nation.
Let us not forget what this holiday truly means; please join me in remembering our active members of the Armed Forces, Reserves, and Veterans, especially wounded warriors. Memorial Day is truly all about them and their families.
To the Armed Forces members, past and present, our Reserve members, and Veterans, please know that we here at Insightful Accountant truly appreciate your service, which does not go unnoticed. We are grateful for your sacrifices on this Memorial Day—and forever more.