In 1868, Major General John A. Logan, a Civil War veteran from Illinois and head of the Grand Army of the Republic, established May 30 as a day to honor fallen war dead with flowers. General Logan stated that the graves should be decorated “with the choicest flowers of springtime." He stressed, “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. ... Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”
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Arlington National Cemetery
From the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Over 230,000 veterans and dependents are buried in this cemetery. Each Memorial Day and Veterans Day, a presidential wreath is placed at the Tomb of the Unknowns. (For Those Left Behind - Photo by Spc. Nancy Van Der Weide, May 05, 2008. Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army.) |
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The Flower of Remembrance
From the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
In Flanders Fields
By John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly.
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
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The Story Behind the Poppy
From Caledonia-Mumford, New York
The poppy has become a symbol of sacrifice and is worn to honor those who have served and died for our country in all wars. |
Memorial Day Exhibit
From the History Channel.com
This site from the History Channel gives the history of Memorial Day, along with a timeline of America's wars, battle maps, and images. Powerful videos tell the stories of veterans returning from World War II and the story of the Green Berets. "Did You Know?" gives data from the U.S. Census Bureau about those who served in World War II. |
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Names of Our Fallen
From the White House Commission on Remembrance
Within this section of the White House Commission on Remembrance website you will be able to look through the names of the brave men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.
1950 - 1953: The Korean War
1959 - 1975: The Vietnam War
1983: Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada)
1989 - 1991: Operation Just Cause (Panama)
1990 - 1991: The Gulf War
1993 - 1995: Operation Restore Hope (Somalia)
2001 - Present: Operation Enduring Freedom
2003 - Present: Operation Iraqi Freedom
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Lesson Plans for Memorial Day
From Education World.com
"Memorial Day is a day of remembrance. Education World celebrates this special holiday with activities, music, and Web-based ideas to help the children in your classroom understand Memorial Day's significance." |
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WWII Memorial
In Washington, D.C.
"The World War II Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S., the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort from home. Symbolic of the defining event of the 20th Century, the memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people. The Second World War is the only 20th Century event commemorated on the National Mall’s central axis." "Nearly 59 years after the end of World War II, the National World War II Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 29, 2004. The dedication of the memorial was the culmination of an 11-year effort that started when the memorial was authorized by Congress on May 25, 1993. Construction began September 4, 2001, after several years of fund raising and public hearings. The memorial opened to the public on April 29, 2004." |
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World War II Memorial
From the National Park Service
"The World War II Memorial commemorates the sacrifice and celebrates the victory of 'the greatest generation.' Friedrich St.Florian’s winning design balances classical and modernist styles of architecture, harmonizes with its natural and cultural surroundings, and connects the legacy of the American Revolution and the American Civil War with a great crusade to rid the world of fascism." |
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Korean War Veterans Memorial
From the National Park Service
"From 1950 to 1953, the United States joined with United Nations forces in Korea to take a stand against what was deemed a threat to democratic nations worldwide. At war's end, a million and a half American veterans returned to a peacetime world of families, homes, and jobs - and to a country long reluctant to view the Korean War as something to memorialize. But to the men and women who served, the Korean War could never be a forgotten war." |
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Korean War Veterans Memorial
From the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District
"The Korean War Veterans Memorial was authorized by Public Law 99-572 on Oct. 28, 1986 '…to honor members of the United States Armed Forces who served in the Korean War, particularly those who were killed in action, are still missing inaction, or were held as prisoners of war.' The law established an advisory board of 12 veterans appointed by the president to coordinate all aspects of the memorial’s construction. The site is located adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial directly across the reflecting pool from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C." The message of ‘Freedom Is Not Free’ “...takes legions of men and women who fight a war against oppression...a memorial of faces, complimenting the memorial of names across the reflecting pool... Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a county they never know and a people they never met.” |
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The Legends of "Kilroy Was Here"
From KilroyWasHere.org
“There was one person who led or participated in every combat, training or occupation operation during WWII and the Korean War. This person could always be depended on. GI's began to consider him the ‘super GI.’ He was one who always got there first or who was always there when they left. I am, of course, referring to Kilroy Was Here. Somehow, this simple graffiti captured the imagination of GI's everywhere they went. The scribbled cartoon face and words showed up everywhere – worldwide. Stories (some even true) abound.” Read about the legends here. |
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial
From the National Park Service
"Deliberately setting aside the controversies of the war, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial honors the men and women who served when their Nation called upon them. The designer, Maya Lin, felt that 'the politics had eclipsed the veterans, their service and their lives.' She kept the design elegantly simple to “allow everyone to respond and remember.” |
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The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall USA
From The Wall USA.com
"The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall USA website is dedicated to honoring those who died in the Vietnam War. Since it first went on line in 1996 it has evolved into something more. It is now also a place of healing for those affected by one of the most divisive wars in our nation's history." |
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Veterans Memorial Hall
In Rockford, IL
"Memorial Hall is a living memorial to Veterans from all wars. It will serve as a constant reminder to the sacrifices given by brave men and women from Winnebago County, and a way for generations to remember and learn about their lives."
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The Origins of Memorial Day
From the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
After World War I, this day of honor was expanded to include those men and women who have died in all American wars. In 1971, by an act of Congress, Memorial Day was established as a national holiday to be celebrated on the last Monday in May. (Season of Remembrance Begins - Photo by Kathleen T. Rhem. April 30, 2007, The gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery are graced by U.S. flags on Memorial Day. This photo is courtesy of U.S. Army.) |
A Self-Guided Tour of Rockford Area Veteran Memorial Sites
Courtesy of the Workforce Connection Veterans Employment Representatives
"The Rockford area has a number of significant memorials honoring our citizens with military service. Several museums display military artifacts and exhibits of local military camp history. Peace, the fervent hope of veterans of past wars, is the subject of another local site on this tour." |
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