PARADES, SOLEMN EVENTS TO MARK MEMORIAL DAY
Parades, official ceremonies and solemn visits will mark Memorial Day 2005 across the United States. 138,000 U.S. Troops are serving in Iraq this Memorial Day. And since the war began, more than 1,600 have died in the conflict. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen.
Richard Myers will share his reflections on Memorial Day with us.
Ref. Sources
USA Memorial Day (Hover)
This is a special day in my family because both my parents served in the military and my older brother served as well. My parents lost several high school friends in Vietnam and take this day to remember them. We usually get together and celebrate the day, taking the time to go through old pictures and such and explain to the kids why they server in the military, at least to the extent that they can understand.
Since I am not a US citizen, I would like to know what is Memorial Day and if it is a day to remember loved ones who died on different wars then what is there to celebrate? Sorry for my ignorance, I would like someone to enlight me about this US holiday. Thanks!
I have no connections to the US, even though I've been here since just after my birth. Very little of my family is here except my parents and they keep to themselves. I am not connected to the US military in anyway, nor do I have friends that are connected. I was mindful of those who have served so I live freely here, but to be very honest I did not think very much outside of forgetting it was Monday a whole lot. I worked in my garden with my puppy.
LDS_forever, it is not so much a celebration, but as the name implies, a day to remember or memorialize those who fought and died in military service for the U.S. On Memorial Day, there are a lot of observances at cemeteries, or at memorials, and the day is meant to be a tribute to those who served this country defending it and protecting it. See this link for more on the history of Memorial Day:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_day
This last Memorial Day, my wife and I were finishing up cleaning our rental house we just moved out of, and later in the day we grilled out in the backyard and just spent time with each other and our kids. It was a quiet day, but I believe Memorial Day should be spent in silence and reflection, more so than celebration, because war is never something to be celebratory about.
Thank you so much for that explanation Malexander. I did not know much about Memorial Day but then I could not understand why some Americans in general talk about "celebrating" and making BBQ's and things like that since it seems to be a holiday to remember with respect and not really an excuse to make a pic-nic out of it. I hope I do not sound too harsh. Thanks again.
As I agree with all that Malexander has already stated I thought I should add just a few more thoughts to the discussion. As far as "celebrating" memorial day goes I would like to point out that in the US we not only honor the soldiers that have given their lives for our country and our freedom but also rejoice in all of the opportunities that they gave their lives to ensure that we have. As far as having a bar-b-que or get together I feel it is more about being surrounded with the ones you love. In many cases and many families there are soldiers that may even be home to spend this time with them in remembrance of their fallen comrades.
**On another note, there are many people that I believe do use Memorial Day as just another reason to have a long weekend with an extra day off work. But then I have to remember how commercialized every holiday has gotten here in the US.