Vermillion Plain Talk 07 May 23, 2014 www.plaintalk.net May 26th, 2014 The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battle?eld and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature. —Abraham Lincoln History of Memorial Day Though many are quick to refer to Memorial Day as the unofficial beginning of summer, the day is much more than that. Initially known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day is a day to remember those military members who died in service of the country. The origins of Memorial Day remain a topic of debate. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y. as the official birthplace of Memorial Day. However, the roots of Memorial Day likely run much deeper, as researchers at Duke University note that during the Civil War organized women’s groups in the south had begun to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers. Memorial Day as we know it today can likely be traced to Charleston, S.C., where teachers, missionaries and some members of the press gathered on May 1, 1865 to honor fallen soldiers. During the Civil War, captured Union soldiers were held at the Charleston Race Course and hundreds died during captivity. Upon their deaths, soldiers were buried in unmarked graves. When the Civil War ended, the May Day gathering was organized as a memorial to all the men who had died during captivity. The burial ground was landscaped, and those freed as a result of the Civil War played an integral role in the event at the Charleston Race Course. While the event in Charleston INTRODUCTION Andy Howe, VFW Post 3061 INVOCATION Pastor Sandy Aakre, VFW Post 3061 might have been the first Memorial Day-type celebration in the southern United States, General John A. Logan is often cited as inspiring similar events in the north. The commanderin-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans’ organization for men who served in the Civil War, General Logan issued a proclamation just five days after the Charleston event that called for Decoration Day to be observed annually across the country. Logan preferred the event not be held on the anniversary of any particular battle, and thus the day was observed for the first time on May 30. Celebrating the day in May also was significant to event organizers because May is a month when flowers are in bloom, making it easier for observers of the holiday to place flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers. In 1868, events were held at more than 180 cemeteries in 27 states, and those figures nearly doubled in 1869. By 1890, every northern state officially recognized Decoration Day as a state holiday. But southern states honored their dead on a different day until after World War I, when the holiday was changed to recognize Americans who died in any war and not just the Civil War. Nearly every state now celebrates Memorial Day, a name for the holiday first used in 1882, on the last Monday in May. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE All MUSIC GENERAL JOHN LOGAN’S ORDERS Art Mabry, VFW Post 3061 MEMO RIA OBSERV L DAY ANCE First Bap 101 E tist Church . Main Street Mond a May 2 y 6 10:00 th am ? Metro Creative Connection KNUTSON FAMILY DENTISTRY 1714 E CHERRY ST. • VERMILLION Mart Auto Body and Marine 605.624.6291 1122 W. Main St. • Vermillion, SD sanfordvermillion.org 605-624-3814 Rasmussen Motors FAMILY FIRST CHIROPRACTIC PC * 3 9@:;(33337(+,53+*3 4 3 0*/(,33737(+,53+* * 3 /09679(*;0*37/@:0*0(5:  3 3,3*/,99@3:;3  = 3 ,940330653:+3 7 3 /!3  101 W. Cherry, Vermillion 624-8624 • 800-624-6690 Quality Care for Pain Free Living! www.vermillionford.com Mount Monument Sales & Service •Monuments •Markers •Vases 402 E Main Vermillion, SD 605-624-6668 www.rasmussenmotors.com 209 W. Cherry St., Vermillion, SD 605-624-4438 • 1-800-568-5004 Mon.-Fri. 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sat. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. • Open Nights By Appt. ADDRESS Leo Powell, VFW Post 3061 Commander HONOR ROLL CALL Marty Nygren, VFW Post 3061 PLACING OF THE WREATHS AMERICAN LEGION POST 1 AMERICAN LEGION POST 1 AUXILIARY VFW POST 3061 AUXILIARY VFW POST 3061 MUSIC BENEDICTION Pastor Sandy Aakre, VFW Post 3061 SALUTE TO HONOR THE DEAD VFW Honor Guard IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO GAVE EVERYTHING FOR OUR FREEDOM VERMILLION VFW CLAY POST 3061 Corner of W. Cherry & Stanford 605-624-8050 Over 40 Years Experience • New Construction • Remodeling • Concrete Work Proudly Offering Military Discounts! Paul’s Plumbing, Inc. 900 N. Norbeck St. • Vermillion, SD 624-3463 Member of Lewis & Clark Home Builders Association Gas • Diesel Jct. I-29 & Hwy. 50 605-624-2062 OPEN 24 HOURS ; 3OHUR3@V3 = 3 L[LYHUZ8 Henderson’s Remembering Those That Served 111 Court St Vermillion, SD 57069 (605) 624-5555 (605) 624-8151 Ty's Building Service 115 W. Duke Vermillion, SD 605-677-7073 807 Princeton • Vermillion, SD 624-6904