VFW 7234 to hold Memorial Day program in Bethany May 29

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7234, in partnership with Bethany Beach, will present a Memorial Day program for the area community beginning at 11 a.m., Monday, May 29, at the bandstand. Bethany Beach Mayor Jack Gordon will open the program. This will be the fifth year for the VFW ceremony at the bandstand. Special invited guests include Sen. Gerald Hocker, R-Ocean View; Rep. Ron Gray, R-Selbyville; and Sussex County Council members George Cole, R-Ocean View, and Rob Arlett, R-Frankford.

Memorial Day is the day set aside every year in America to remember and honor all those who have died serving in the armed forces to preserve freedom. Yet some are unaware of the significance of the day. Maybe it just marks the unofficial beginning of another fun summer. Others have forgotten or are too busy to reflect on it. Still others think the memories of loss are too sad, and it would be better to leave them in the past.

Many writers and speakers have addressed the subject. Perhaps the most eloquent was U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Before his 30-year career on the court, Holmes served during the Civil War in the 20th Massachusetts Regiment of Volunteers and was wounded in action at Bulls Bluff, Antietam and Chancellorsville. He lived with the memories of many comrades who died in that war and often spoke about the meaning and importance of days like Memorial Day not just to veterans, but also to the public and the nation. He once said, "We do not live in the past alone, but remember and live to be worthy of the past."

Distilling the thoughts of Holmes and others, four reasons for Memorial Day become apparent.

First is to remember and honor all those who gave their lives for the country. The simple truth is that American citizens live in freedom because of them.

The second reason is to recognize and honor the sacrifice and courage of the families of the fallen, and try to ensure that surviving family members realize with a sense of pride that their loved ones will never be forgotten.

Third, by publicly honoring those who died to secure freedom, the example of their lives may encourage and maybe even inspire others to live lives of service and make a difference for good.

Fourth, the day continues a long-standing patriotic tradition that originated as Decoration Day after the Civil War. The day was set aside to decorate with flowers the graves of those who died in that war. For many years, May 30 was the designated day, a day when many flowers would be in bloom. The preferred name for the occasion gradually changed to Memorial Day, and all those who gave their lives in the armed forces since the Revolution are honored.

At sunrise May 29, the American flag will be raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to half-staff, where it will remain until noon, in remembrance of all those who died while serving the nation in the armed forces. It will later be raised to full height, from noon to sundown, with resolve that their sacrifice will not be in vain. In Bethany Beach, people will gather at the bandstand to attend and participate in the Memorial Day program. Remembrance poppies, those little red paper flowers, will be distributed to all present, a tradition that began in America after World War I ended in 1918. The poppy was then, and has now become symbolic of the sacrifice of all who died serving the country. The significance of the poppies can be found in John McCrae's poem, "In Flanders Fields," written on a battlefield in Belgium in 1915. The poem closes with these lines, "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."

In December 2000, Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act, which designates 3 p.m. local time throughout the country on this day for a minute of silence to remember and honor all those who sacrificed their lives to ensure our freedom.

Memorial Day is not an all-day formal and solemn occasion. It's also a day to enjoy with family and friends. And yes, it does mark the unofficial beginning of summer, with all the fun that can bring. So Americans can at once remember and enjoy the day.

Another ceremony will begin at 11 a.m., Tuesday, May 30, at the post on Marshy Hope Way in Ocean View. This ceremony will be open to the public, and all are welcome.

Whatever the day, we will never forget those we honor.