MEMORIAL DAY: ORIGIN AND MEANING
Military & Veterans Affairs Committee
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Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day dates back
to the years following the Civil War.
M
any Americans
came before us, or
even with us, and
gave all – their lives,
their families, and their freedom —
for our country, so that we may
continue to enjoy the lives, families,
and freedoms we hold dear. As
Memorial Day approaches, join
me in learning of its origin and,
even more, contemplating its
meaning and purpose through
the words of HCBA members
who donned a uniform and served
our country, who have graciously
shared their personal reflections.
Memorial Day, a federal holiday
held the last Monday in May, was
officially established by Congress
in 1968 and took effect in 1971.
Originally known as Decoration
Day, Memorial Day dates back
to the years following the Civil
War, when citizens in towns began
holding springtime ceremonies
decorating the graves of soldiers
and reciting prayers. The first
organized Decoration Day
gathering was in 1868 at Arlington
National Ceremony, where General
James Garfield spoke and 5,000
participants decorated 20,000
soldiers’ graves. Over time, the
tradition, which began primarily
in the northern states to recognize
fallen Civil War Soldiers, evolved to
include all states and to recognize
all men and women who died
while serving in the U.S. military.
Each year, a national moment of
remembrance is held at 3 p.m.
local time on Memorial Day.
On his personal reflection of
this holiday,
the Honorable
Michael J.
Scionti, Circuit
Court Judge
for the Veterans
Treatment
Court, remarked:
“As a soldier
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and veteran of
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the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan, I often reflect
upon those brave men and women,
who accepted the inherent risks of
military service, left the comforts
of home and the warm embrace
of loved ones, and gave their all
so that we could have a better
tomorrow. As a grateful nation,
we should gather on this marked
occasion, unified with the common
purpose of honoring their
uncommon bravery and
immeasurable sacrifices, and
simply say thank you.”
On what Memorial Day means to
him personally,
the Honorable
Gregory P.
Holder, Air
Force veteran
and Circuit
Court Judge,
shared:
“Memorial
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Day is a time
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to remember
and honor those that have proudly
served this great nation. I often
think of my father as a 17-year-old
Army Air Corps Private on a ship
traveling to Pearl Harbor on
December 7, 1941, when they
received that fateful radio message
of the devastating attack. I think of
my mother and her service during
the Korean War as an Airman
Second Class. I think of our son’s
service at Kandahar Air Base,
Afghanistan, and the rockets and
mortars landing in the compound
each night. I think of Army
Captain Ronnie Bush’s service in
Fallujah and Ramadi, Iraq, and
then the Korengal Valley of Death
in Afghanistan. I think of the
ultimate sacrifice given by Army
1LT Dimitri Del Castillo. We honor
and love these men and women
each day, but we take time out on
Memorial Day to thank them all
for their service.”
Colonel D.J. Reyes, US Army
(retired) and
senior mentor/
coordinator
for the Veterans
Treatment
Court, reflected
on the
importance of
remembrance
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and gratitude:
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“To put it into
perspective: Americans need to
remember that this day of honor
— remembering those who died in
the service of preserving this nation
and its way of life — is the primary
reason why we can also celebrate
the joy of the end of another
school year, the beginning of the
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