Remembering the fallen heroes on Memorial Day, May 25, 2015*



To honor our fallen heroes.

It wasn't always Memorial Day — it used to be known as Decoration Day—whatever the name, it's a day of remembrance for all those who have died in the service of the United States of America.

Born of the Civil War, Memorial Day began as a holiday honoring Union soldiers, and some states still have separate Confederate observances. Mississippi celebrates Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday of April, Alabama on the fourth Monday of April, and Georgia on April 26. North and South Carolina observe it on May 10, Louisiana on June 3 and Tennessee calls that date Confederate Decoration Day. Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day on Jan. 19 and Virginia calls the last Monday in May Confederate Memorial Day

 

The first Decoration Day, the 30th of May, 1868, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular Civil War battle.

 

The “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution passed in Dec. 2000 asks that at 3 p.m. local time, all Americans “Voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of Remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to ‘Taps.’”

Red poppies are known as a symbol of remembrance, and it's a tradition to wear them on Memorial Day to honor those who died in war.  

In 1915, inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields,” Moina Michael conceived the idea to wear red poppies on Memorial Day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need. (cj Sez: When I was little, we called it Poppy Day instead of Decoration Day, and I always had a red, paper poppy to wear.)

The casualties of each U.S. war: 

 

Civil War: Approximately 620,000 Americans died. The Union lost almost 365,000 troops and the Confederacy about 260,000. More than half of these deaths were caused by disease.

World War I: 116,516 Americans died, more than half from disease.

World War II: 405,399 Americans died.

Korean War: 36,574 Americans died.

Vietnam Conflict: 58,220 Americans died. More than 47,000 Americans were killed in action and nearly 11,000 died of other causes.

Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm: 148 U.S. battle deaths and 145 non-battle deaths.

Operation Iraqi Freedom: 4,422 U.S. service members died.

Operation New Dawn: 66 U.S. service members died.

Operation Enduring Freedom: 2,318 U.S. service members have died as of May 12, 2014.

 

cj Sez: I am in awe of their sacrifice, and it is with profound respect that I humbly say thank you to the families that America's fallen heroes left behind.  May God Bless.

cj

https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

DEADLY STAR (Publisher: Crimson Romance)  

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Composite Photo Credit: Jeff D. Johnston
*Data from multiple on-line sources.

Our friend won

Today was more than a little enjoyable. My friend, Mavis Jarrell (writer of poetry and prose) and I helped celebrate a writing award garnered by another friend and fellow writer, Hazel (Polly) Pope.

Polly's short story, "Fall Picnic on the Hay Wagon," won First Place in the Gulf Coast Writers "Let's Write" contest (read it on http://www.gcwriters.org). Yay, congratulations, Polly!

Short stories are notoriously hard to write, especially those with a 2000-word limit. Every word must move the story forward to its conclusion. Polly had, I think, a more difficult task. She had originally written her story as a kind of flash fiction piece with 500 words. Her task for this contest was to increase the word count to 2000 words without destroying her beautiful story with a lot of extraneous words. (The line-through editing is intentional.) Her accomplishment was duly appreciated, awarded and applauded at the organization's annual meeting in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

It was an exciting evening for all the winners of the contest's genres, and I am still aglow at being able to share in Polly's celebration.

How about all you writers out there? If you have good news to share, let us know. Lyrical Pens would be happy to applaud you as well. 

You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I'll try to do the same. 

cj

On this Memorial Day, and every day, I remember with gratitude those who served and sacrificed to make our  freedoms possible. 

MAC Writing Contest May Winners

The submissions this past month brought two things into perspective, Memorial Day and spring love. Both remind us how vulnerable human relationships can be. I've selected two first place winners for May. One in gritty detail honors the men and women who challenge themselves daily to protect our precious democracy and keep America strong. The other gives us a breath of spring and a reminder of the innocence of human love.

Our first winner is Mary Ivey. Mary's work is no stranger to those of you who follow our blog. She has placed in several of my contests. An artist, a poet, a writer of science fiction, Mary shows other talents in this month's winning piece.
Mary remind us that life is a valuable gift that should not be wasted but too often is in the name of the greater good, which no one in history has been able to fully explain. Every country has its own definition. It's a reminder that those defending our freedoms are still very human indeed.

It is quiet now; the guns have ceased their booming. Through the pouring rain, I see figures moving, checking bodies to see if any still live. Today we were victorious; God only knows what tomorrow will bring.

I huddle into my slicker, trying to find some inner place where I'll be able to shut out the horrors of the war.

I imagine myself back on the farm. The sun is shining. My mother's flower garden by the front porch is just starting to bloom. My sister Amelia is playing with a friend from a neighboring house. I can smell pies baking—

"Up and at 'em! We're moving the camp!"

My Captain's voice cuts through my reverie like a knife. I get to my feet and follow him. Impressions left in the earth by his boots fill with rainwater, dyed red.

May God bless those who save the rest of us.

Mahala