How To Show Pride This Coming Memorial Day
By Reena Enjambre | | Fallen Soldiers, Honor and Respect, Memorial Day, Paying Homage, Soldiers, Tips, U.S Military
Growing up, people--mostly, our teachers and professors--would ask us, "Who do you look up to the most?" and oftentimes we would say, “our dad”, “our mom”, “our parents” because these are the people we admire and always see. We’ve seen their sacrifices and experienced their tenderness, love and care.
Some may answer their uncles or aunties, or any other relatives, or their grandparents. There are others who would say and choose fictional characters like the Marvels--Captain America, Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, and etc. Even cartoon characters get chosen.
Nonetheless, regardless of who the answer might be, people’s faces always light up and get teary eyed when talking about their “Heroes”. Why is that? It is because heroes give a positive thought, a surge of hope and energy, and someone regarded with utter admiration and respect.
On the other hand, there are other heroes we need to celebrate and pay homage to as well. These are the veterans who died while serving the U.S military and for the safety of us people. That’s why we’re having a Memorial Day this coming 31st of May to commemorate these great heroes.
Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day before, it started in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971.
How was Memorial Day celebrated before?
The Civil War claimed more lives than any conflict in the U.S history and also the reason why the first country’s National Cemeteries were established.
The war ended in 1865, and by the late 1860s, early Americans from different towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen heroes, decorating their graves with flowers, and offering players.
At first, it was only for those who were killed during the Civil War and it stayed like that for more than 50 year until America’s entry to World War I that the tradition was expanded to include those killed in all wars.
10 Memorial Day Traditions to show pride
These Memorial Day traditions are based on the article posted by www.usmemorialday.org. Read the full article here.
1. See a former battlefield
- Memorial Day weekend is an unofficial start of summer. So, it is expected that a lot of Americans would hit the road during this time. If you’re planning to get outdoors this weekend, you might as well visit and see a former battlefield. There are plenty of former battlefields from wars, where our soldiers fought hard for our country.
2. Tune in to a Memorial Day concert
- Networks usually broadcast a concert which includes a lot of music honoring and paying tribute to our heroes.
3. Attend a Memorial Day parade
- Traditionally, there are parades where you can see veterans march to show off their pride. Joining these parades with your family and friends would, surely, make the veterans honored and proud, and would put a smile on their faces. However, with the pandemic going on, it would be best to postpone these parades or for you to observe these parades at home for your health and safety and to control the surge of the virus.
4. Take part in Memorial Day service
- Memorial Service are usually planned by the veterans for other veterans’ families, friends, and the general public. Don’t forget to cooperate and stop in, but observe proper Covid protocols when joining with these kinds of events.
5. Raise an American flag
- This is the easiest way to pay homage to our veterans. This flag is what they’ve fought for--to maintain and earn our freedom.
6. Visit a Veteran’s Home
- There are plenty of veterans who are disabled and unable to return to their jobs because of their conditions, and some of them couldn’t even take care of themselves. You can visit them and make them feel they are loved and make them know that people are proud of the services they’ve done to us and our country.
7. Share a picture of a Fallen Military Personnel or Soldier on Social Media
- With the pandemic going on, this is one of the safest ways to pay respect and honor to our fallen soldiers. You can share a photo on your feed or even on your stories and show that you acknowledge everything they’ve done to our country.
8. Go to a nearby veteran’s cemetery
- Honors these fallen veterans the classic way, how people did it in the past, decorate their graves with flowers and offer prayers.
9. Hoist a MIA or POW Flag
- These flags are a reminder of the sacrifices of these soldiers, raising these flags would help others remember and, at the same time, honor the sacrifices of these heroes.
10. Have a moment of silence
- On Memorial Day, at 3 pm, all Americans should pause and think about these fallen soldiers. It is a great way to remember and keep these soldiers in our hearts.
This coming Memorial Day, honor and thank the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifices for us and our country, but remember to stay safe and take care of your health, too! Stay safe, Believers.
Love + miracles,