What’s this day all about?
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.
Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in General Order No. 11, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
Traditionally observed on May 30, Memorial Day is now celebrated on the last Monday in May (pursuant to the National Holiday Act of 1971.) Critics argue that the change helped the holiday lose its meaning for many people, turning it into a three-day weekend marked by sales, barbecues and parties.
But Memorial Day is about remembering and honoring the more than 1.3 million Americans who gave their lives in service to our nation since its birth in 1775.
According to U.S. Defense Department statistics: https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/pages/main.xhtml
As of May 26: 35 U.S. military casualties during ongoing Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan, the coalition mission to train, advise and assist Afghan National Defense and Security Forces and to conduct counterterrorism operations against the remnants of al Qaeda.
As of May 26: 42 U.S. military casualties during ongoing Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, supporting Iraqi Security Force operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Kinetic operations started on Aug. 8, 2014.
2,346 U.S. military casualties during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, where U.S. military operations ceased Dec. 31, 2014.
66 U.S. military casualties during Operation New Dawn in Iraq, between Sept. 1, 2010 and Dec. 15, 2011.
4,412 U.S. military casualties during Operation Iraqi Freedom between March 19, 2003 and Aug. 21, 2010;
1,565 U.S. military casualties during the Persian Gulf War (Desert Shield/Desert Storm) between Aug. 2, 2990 and April 11, 1991;
58,220 U.S. military casualties during the Vietnam War;
36,574 died in the Korean War;
405,399 died in World War II;
116,516 died in World War I; and
625,000 died in the Civil War.
Additionally, 315 U.S. troops died in special military operations around the globe since 1980, according to the Defense Department. These include the Iranian hostage mission, Lebanon peacekeeping, military operations related to Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and military operations in Grenadea, Panama, Somalia and Haiti.
In the words of General Logan on May 5, 1868: “Let us, then, at the time appointed, gather around their sacred remains, and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledge to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon the Nation’s gratitude—the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan.”
Southold still remembers
There are Memorial Day ceremonies and parades this morning in Orient and Greenport (see details) and the Southold Town parade takes place in Mattituck, following ceremonies at the monument on Pike Street, which begin at 10 a.m.
