Edith reporting in from north of Boston, where I’m coddling my schedule by repurposing our post from five years ago.
Today is Memorial Day, a remembrance of people who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
The holiday began with decorating the graves of Civil war victims. According to PBS, “During that first national commemoration, former Union General and sitting Ohio Congressman James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who were buried there. “
After World War I, Memorial Day became an occasion for honoring those who died in all of America’s wars and was then more widely established as a national holiday throughout the United States.
Let us honor those who sacrificed their lives for the principles of democracy: free speech, the balance of power, and an independent electorate.
Sherry: Neither my dad or his father died while serving but they both served, my dad during World War ll and my grandfather in World War I. And of course as a military spouse I honor all of those who have served or are serving. Look at how young they all look!
Jessie: My maternal grandfather fought in WWII and both of his sons served during the Vietnam era. I have thought of them and of all those who have given so much for the rest of us often over the time I have been writing and researching books set just after WWI. The older I get the more I realize what all of them risked and are risking by serving their country.
Edith: My father’s father served in WWI and my father was drafted out of college into WWII. He lost his only Maxwell cousin in the war. The following picture shows Daddy in his uniform, probably at around twenty. The Army trained him in Italian but then sent him to a remote outpost in India where he passed along radio communications. They must have realized this scholar wasn’t well suited for the infantry.
Liz: My grandfather had to leave the army because of a knee injury during WWII, but he and my grandmother both volunteered for the war efforts. It meant a lot to him because I know he truly wanted to serve. My mother recently told me that his whole troop was killed during a tour. That really stuck with me. I know that must have affected him for the rest of his life.
Barb: My dad, Richard Morrow Ross, Jr., served in Korea in 1953-54. In spite of four years of ROTC, 3 years on active duty, and then ten years in the reserves, this is the only photo I have of him in any military setting. After he got home he never spoke about Korea again. He obviously sent this photo to my mother. The note on the back says, “Your own at home. Really living it up in the Far East.” The pictures on the shelf above his head are my mom and me.
Julie: When I think of Memorial Day, I think of my father’s cousin, David Holmes. He was the only son of Albert and Frances, my dad’s aunt and uncle on his mother’s side. David was adopted after many years of trying to have a family, and was the apple of his parents’ eyes. He and my father were around the same age, so they grew up together. In 1966, his plane was shot down over Laos in Vietnam and his was considered MIA. He left a widow, Marilyn, and two children. My father was very close to his Aunt Frances and Uncle Al, both of whom I remember with great fondness. As an adult, I cannot even imagine their loss.
Readers: What’s your Memorial Day weekend ritual? Who do you honor?
The Wickeds 
My father proudly served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. I will honor his memory on Veteran’s Day. However, being an Army brat, we knew how blessed we were when Dad arrived home safely. We remembered those that weren’t as fortunate and the sacrifices both they and their families made. I still do.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
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You had a insider perspective on how lucky you were he made it home.
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My Dad was on a ship on his way to Korea from Japan when the Armistice was signed. My father in law served as a medic in Korea and he never spoke of his experiences over there. My maternal Grandfather served in Germany in World War 1 and I lost my Uncle Charlie when I was 9 as they were preparing the ship for Vietnam. I still remember the day the military car pulled into our driveway to inform my mother as my grandmother was visiting family in CA. And then my Mom’s good friend, her son came back from Vietnam and couldn’t handle what he had been through and took his own life. I think of him every time we drive by the spot where it happened. All the tragedies didn’t happen over there.
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So true, Paula.
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My Dad was in the Army National Guard and he fought in the riots in Pittsburgh in 60’s but never had to serve overseas
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There are so many ways to serve.
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My mother, father and uncle were all in the army during WW II, uncle’s partner was in ine navy. All came home safely, so we celebrate them on Veterans Day.
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Of course. What a blessing.
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One of my grandfather’s served in World War I. My dad served in the Pacific in World War II and I had an uncle who served in Europe and spent time in a POW camp. My mom had a cousin who was killed in action in Vietnam.
So much has been given by so many for us all.
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So much.
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Edith, my dad was also a radio operator in India during WWII. He was in the Army Air Corps, flying the Burma Hump. He never spoke of his time in India, except to tease my mother that her housewifely skills, particularly her sewing, did not match those of Abdul, their tent boy. A lost cuff button did not have to be replaced. Just cut the corresponding one off the other sleeve, like Abdul. A tender memory of a very different time. Thank you for bringing this out of the back of my brain and heart.
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You are welcome, Elisabeth. How odd that both our fathers were radio operators in India!
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My Uncle Karl was on the USS Quincy in the battle for Savo Straits. My brother Karl was named for him and he served in Viet Nam. Exposure to Agent Orange resulted in his battle with Parkinson’s disease. We lost him two years ago. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
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I’m so sorry, Kait. War can bring such horrific things with long-lasting results.
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One of the youths I worked with at a former church I went to lost his life in Afghanistan. I always think about Rudy today.
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Of course you do, Mark. Thanks for sharing that.
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