The History of Memorial Day… a ModernJeeper Tribute

Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed today, the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.  All of us in the ModernJeeper family pay tribute and tip our hats to all who have given, including their families and friends. America would not be what she is without those who have sacrificed.

Originally known as Decoration Day, it began in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, it marks the beginning of the summer season.

We Show Respect with Poppies

On this day, you will see veterans and especially the American Legion offering poppies at stores and malls.  Poppies forever became a symbol of war-time death when Canadian military surgeon Lt. Col. John McRae wrote a poem about the sight of the brilliant flowers growing on a bloody World War I battlefield.

The Second Battle of Ypres took place in the province of West Flanders, Belgium with an ungodly number of casualties, and the destruction nearly unbelievable.

In the seventeen days of battle, heavy artillery uprooted the soil, causing poppies lying dormant in the field to bloom in great numbers across the war-torn meadows. Moved by the display of life anew juxtaposed against the carnage of war moved McCrae to pen the poem In Flanders Field to honor the sacrifice made by the brave soldiers who lost their lives there.

McCrae’s stirring poem has made the red poppy the national symbol of sacrifice and remembrance of those lost to the ravages of war since 1919, when Armistice Day (now called Veterans Day) was first established on November 11th, the day World War I formally ended the year before. Since then, the display of poppies on November 11th (known as Remembrance Day in other countries) to honor the sacrifice of lost soldiers has spread to other countries, including Canada, England and Australia.

In 1921, the American Legion Auxiliary established the poppy program. Each year or Veterans Day, which honors the service of veterans, and Memorial Day, honoring those lost in service, millions of paper poppies are handmade by veterans as part of a therapeutic rehabilitation program. Distributed throughout the United States, the donations given in exchange for the poppies are used to support hospitalized and disabled veterans.

The Red, White and Blue at Half-Staff

In traditional observance, the flag of the United States is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day. The half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon, their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all.

On this and every day, our gratitude goes out to those who have served, those we have lost, and to those who continue to feel the impact of the sacrifices given for our country.