Memorial Day: A Day to Remember Who We Are

Here are some ways to honor those who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms.

Children learn respect for the flag and the fallen through the good example of their family. Biba Kayewich

The song “Sgt. MacKenzie” pays tribute to Charles Stuart MacKenzie, who died in 1917 in the trenches during World War I. His great-grandson, Joseph Kilna MacKenzie, wrote this lament while grieving his own wife’s death and remembering his ancestor’s brave last stand against the bayonet-wielding enemy. Though Joseph MacKenzie was a Scot, his song about a dead soldier has universal appeal—it was, for instance, featured in the Vietnam War movie “We Were Soldiers”—with two lines that are especially appropriate for our American Memorial Day:

Once a year say a prayer for me Close your eyes and remember me

This year, Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 26. This is the day specifically set aside for honoring those Americans who died in service of their country while on active duty in our military. This is a day designed to bring all Americans together in gratitude for those who laid down their lives to preserve our liberties. This is the day when a simple act—"close your eyes and remember me”—requires but a few seconds out of our holiday schedule to give thanks for their sacrifice.

And if we wish to take on a bit more to honor these men and women? Here are three more things we can do that require little of us but serve as reminders of those who paid the ultimate price for our liberties.

The Flag

Children learn respect for the flag and the fallen through the good example of their family. Biba Kayewich

Unlike citizens in some other countries, Americans proudly display their country’s flag. In my neighborhood, for instance, many homes fly Old Glory year-round, and on Memorial Day, the local chapter of the American Legion lines Main Street with flags.

Consequently, Memorial Day is an ideal time to look with fresh eyes at the Red, White, and Blue. Just as some people focus on a candle flame during meditation, we can do the same on this special day with a flag, using it to collect and center our scattered thoughts on the hundreds of thousands of men and women who, since the Revolutionary War, have laid down their lives for our country.

If we have children or grandchildren, we can share with them the meaning of the flag, its stars and stripes, and its colors. We can teach them, for instance, that red stands for valor, blue for vigilance and justice, and white for innocence and purity. We can make sure they know and understand the Pledge of Allegiance and introduce them to Johnny Cash’s song “That Ragged Old Flag,” which also serves as a great summary of our nation’s military history.

1 Minute Is All It Takes

In 2000, Congress passed  an act stating that “a National Moment of Remembrance and other commemorative events are needed to reclaim Memorial Day as the sacred and noble event that that day is intended to be.” Among other recommendations, the National Moment of Remembrance Act asks all Americans to pause at 3 p.m. local time for one minute and “to join in prayer” for their nation and for peace.

That act exists in part because of Carmella LaSpada. In 1971, LaSpada, a White House special projects aide on a United Service Organizations tour in war-torn Vietnam, met a wounded medic who had witnessed 35 of his friends and comrades die on the field of battle. He asked LaSpada to find a way to keep the memories of those men alive. LaSpada not only agreed to his request, but eventually founded No Greater Love, a charity designed to commemorate deceased veterans and their families. It was this group that initially pushed for the National Moment of Remembrance Act.

Many Americans today remain unaware of this moment of silence on Memorial Day, and some who do know may forget to honor it. This year, let’s set the alarms on our phones and watches and take one minute to show our appreciation for the dead and to pray for peace as well. We often hear about deep divisions in our country, but this is surely one time when Americans across the political spectrum can come together on common ground.

One special note: Taps Across America invites musicians to break out their instruments at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day and play taps, that melody that has sounded over the graves of fallen soldiers for 150 years. Since the founding of Taps Across America in 2020, thousands of musicians—trumpeters, buglers, and more—have joined in this nationwide tribute.

Graveside Gratitude

Our national cemeteries, such as Arlington in Virginia and Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri, conduct special ceremonies near or on Memorial Day, but keep in mind that your local cemetery also likely contains the remains of military personnel. Even if the name on that marker belongs to a stranger, a visit to these graves is an excellent way to remember the fallen and to remind ourselves of the meaning and cost of the American promise of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In the article “Etiquette Guidelines for Memorial Day Cemetery Visits,” René A. Guzman provides some excellent tips for ensuring appropriate behavior during such visits. Chief among these is obedience to the rules of the cemetery, which are usually posted on the property. Read those either before your visit or on arrival. Many cemeteries allow fresh flowers to be placed on a grave, so you might consider bringing a rose or the traditional poppy.

If you have children, take them along with you as well. This visit allows them to learn respect for the dead. It can also provide valuable lessons from the past, and not just from America’s wars. In the inscriptions found on these stones, particularly in older cemeteries, we can learn about prominent citizens from another era or receive mini-lessons in the beliefs and customs of another time.

Why We Must Remember

We began with a poem and will end with one.

In 1918, Canadian poet and physician John McRae died of pneumonia while serving on the Western Front. The poem for which he is best recognized today is “In Flanders Fields,” which he wrote in 1915 after the death of his friend in the war. The last lines of this poem of lamentation leave us, the living, with both a request and a warning:

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.

In our American story, our chief foes were and are the enemies of liberty, and the torch we should hold high is the torch of freedom and virtue. Memorial Day, then, is not only a time to remember the dead of our wars, but a time to recollect who we are and who we are meant to be. Only in this way can we link hands with our ancestors and with our children’s children.