Get Happy With It!
By the People . . . For the People Serving Central Connecticut www.peoplespressnews.com Wallingford Flower
& Gift Shoppe
190 Center Street. 203.265.1514 May 2009 • Volume 9, Issue 115
Memorial Day for Me By Tia Kozar
As we all impatiently waited to start our journey, my Brownie Girl Scout troop and I squirmed in our tiny brown uniforms and stared at the pavement in boredom. After we'd eagerly wait for our turn to come, we would begin our march around the town in the annual Memorial Day parade. We would do this for many more years, grinning as people waved and clapped when we walked past. The attention was great but I doubt many of us understood the real reason why we were there. I always thought it was just another holiday, a day off from school, (when EVERYTHING is on sale), but I was incredibly wrong. The tradition started when after the Civil War, General Logan declared May 30th to be a day to decorate the graves of fallen friends and families with flowers,, (it was more popularly called Decoration Day). After World War 1 the day was broadened to honor and remember those who had died in all wars. The parade aspect of
Memorial Day was to "kick off" the day; war veterans would walk through town to the cemeteries with flowers to put on the graves of their fallen comrades. Others would often join in to decorate the graves of their loved ones, too.The tradition continued to evolve and now most parades end at a memorial site where a wreath or flowers are placed and a remembrance ceremony is held. Memorial Day is a day of commemoration, respect and honor for all who have died in the wars. The day and its precedings are just as important today as it was when the tradition began. Soldiers are still dying today as they protect our country and the world against terrorism. Although I may not have understood how important it was to march in the parade when I was a young Girl Scout, I am now glad that I was able to be a part of such an important tradition for so many years.