The soldiers of the homeland do not know luxury, but glory.
José de San Martín
As the story goes, Colonel John A. Logan was in combat during the Civil War when he issued order number 11, which called for honoring fallen servicemen in the various states and asked people to bring flowers to their graves wherever they were found.
He then held an official commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1868. This site was the burial place for soldiers killed in the Civil War and has been the final destination for those killed in later wartime exploits. It is also believed that Logan selected that date because it was the time of spring bloom and thus it would be easier to find bouquets of flowers. The U.S. government has since established Memorial Day.
In 1971 an official national holiday was declared and registered on the last Monday of May. To this day, at 3:00 p.m. a minute of silence is observed to honor his memory, and various commemorative events are held: a wreath is placed at the monument to the unknown soldier in the main cities of the country, the president offers a speech through the media, the flag is set at half-mast and parades are held in the main cities of the country. People usually visit cemeteries or memorials to preserve the custom of leaving flowers as a tribute to deceased servicemen.
In remembrance of the millions of young people who died in the different wars and as a call to preserve peace, we offer these #information tools.
- The average age of American soldiers who participated in the Civil War, the two world wars, and subsequent conflicts were 18-25 years old; consequently, millions of fathers and mothers lost their young sons and had to live one of the most terrible mourning, many were not even able to recover their bodies for their funerals. Hence the importance of honoring their memory.
- The American Battle Monuments Commission, since 1923, is in charge of building monuments and cemeteries worldwide to honor the fallen soldiers in the different conflicts in which the United States Army has participated. In this way, recognition is given to the people by treating the human remains with great respect and honoring their life stories.
- The song Amazing Grace is a traditional poem that pays tribute to those who have gone. It was composed by clergyman John Newton, who was a Marine in his youth and his harsh experiences led him to a spiritual path that he shared in the composition that today encourages the bereaved, said to have had music added to it in the mid-20th century. Here is Alison Krauss’ performance during the 2019 National Memorial Day Concert ceremony.
- During the Afghanistan War (2001), thousands of soldiers died in combat, some in their late teens showed great bravery in deciding to fight for their country. This moved Lt. Michael Strobl who took the initiative to accompany DCI Chance Phelps home, something unusual for a soldier of his rank, and from the recovery of his remains to his funeral was chronicled in his travelogue entitled: A Marine’s Journey Home which was published in the San Francisco Chronicle in May 2004 with the consent of Phelps’ family and was the inspiration for the film Taking Chance (2009) directed by Ross Katz.
- Because of the importance of recovering the body that was separated from its family and mourning their loss, we offer Special Transportation Services to perform funerals for veterans to perform well-deserved ceremonies for veterans and express gratitude for their service.
At Del Pueblo Funeral Home we believe that life would be better in an environment of peace, where all people could fulfill their purposes and enjoy their families, with that desire we remind you that we make the most difficult moments easy.
