Typically Charlie Fineran’s Photo of the Week focuses on nature. Today, however, Charlie turns to Memorial Day, which is much more than a day off from work, picnics, and “celebrations.” This is a day to reflect. The photo above is the Warren County War Memorial at the Courthouse in Belvidere.
Hope you are enjoying a wonderful MEMORIAL DAY!! A very special day, a complex day, if you will, “on one hand,” asking us to pause and take the time to REMEMBER – HONOR – GIVE THANKS to those who died in the military service of their country AND then “on the other hand” on the other end of the spectrum, gearing us up to celebrate the official cultural start of the Summer Season in our country!! I have done a little research and herein is a short history about MEMORIAL DAY I believe you will find interesting. See additional photos on my Flickr site that will hopefully help you in remembering Memorial Day along with offering ideas for some nice Family Visits!!
QUESTION: What is Memorial Day?
ANSWER: A day on which those who died in active military service are remembered, traditionally observed on May 30 but now officially observed on the last Monday in May.
QUESTION: What is the history of Memorial Day?
ANSWER: Originally called Decoration Day, this came from the early tradition of decorating graves with flowers, wreaths and flags. It was widely observed on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by a proclamation of General John A Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former Union Sailors and soldiers. During that first National Commemoration at Arlington Cemetery, former General, sitting Ohio Congressman and future President of the U.S. James Garfield made a speech followed by the decorating of all 20,000 graves in the cemetery. In 1873, New York was the first state to designate Memorial Day as a legal holiday, followed later by many more cities, communities and several other states observing Memorial Day as a legal holiday. After WW I, it became an occasion for honoring those who died in all of America’s wars and was more widely established as a National Holiday throughout the U.S. In 1971, Congress passed the ‘Uniform Monday Holiday Act’ officially celebrating Memorial Day on the last Monday of May. Every Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery each grave is decorated with a flag and the President or Vice President places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with about 5,000 guests in attendance.
Memorial Day is also the traditional kickoff for the Summer Season, BUT, remember, Summer arrives officially, according to the calendar, on June 21st!!
The photos on the link I have chosen for this MEMORIAL DAY message will hopefully serve a dual purpose. To remind and to inform! First, I hope the photos will be a reminder, that Memorial Day is a special time, a time for ALL of us, to HONOR, REMEMBER and give a heartfelt THANK YOU, to ALL the servicemen and women, that gave the ultimate sacrifice, serving Our Country and preserving Our Freedom!! That very freedom has allowed us over our lifetimes to enjoy so many wonderful benefits and privileges. Let us remember many of these fallen were very young, thus, never ever experienced any of life’s wonders and joys.
Secondly, I hope some of these photos will offer some information about some wonderful places to visit. I have labeled each photo to aid you in identifying what and where they are from. The Fleet Week photos including the USS New York made from steel from the World Trade Center buildings. The Merchant Marine Memorial is located along the Hudson River in Battery Park. The Battleship New Jersey is located in the Delaware River in Camden across from Philadelphia. The old Cruiser Olympia is moored in Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia not far from Independence Center and our Liberty Bell!!
There are three photos from my father’s war photos. These are A-20 aircraft medium attack bombers used in low level bombing and strafing raids. The photos are from an attack against Japanese fuel depots. My father mentioned that at those low levels and high speeds when you were hit you usually were gone! This struck A 20 is being given a final escort and salute by one of its fellow attack bombers.
The photo of the George Washington Bridge shows one of the largest free hanging flags in the world. It is displayed for several days during certain holidays AND I may add is a stirring sight to see!!
The statue at Liberty Park along the Hudson features the ship in the background, the Queen Elizabeth II on one of her maiden voyages, the largest passenger ship in the world at the time. This is a great area to visit, open spaces, beautiful wide walkways along the harbor viewing the Statue of Liberty and New York City!!
The Memorial Arch at Valley Forge National Park, the NJ Korean War Memorial on the Board Walk at Atlantic City!!
Have a Great Memorial Day Weekend with your Family and Friends, take full advantage of all the wonderful opportunities afforded us by our Freedom, AND Remember, Honor and be Thankful for that Freedom – They made the ultimate sacrifice!!!
Charlie Fineran
Director Open Space
Allamuchy Township Environmental Commission – Chairman
Allamuchy Historical Society – President
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