Remembering Those Who Served, Memorial Day 2011

Vietnam Memorial Wall
April 30, 2005
Photograph by Luigi Masu

Memorial Day is a day set aside to remember those who have died in the service of their country.  It is also a time when I remember a very special Canadian who likely knew more about U.S. politics and history than most U.S. citizens. Memorial Day 2007 was his last blog post, reading in part:

"Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). For more history of Memorial Day visit Memorial Day History."

Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...