Memorial Day’s invitation to explore history

Every holiday comes with an invitation to dig into history. And, of course, some lure us into America’s unique story, including Presidents Day, the Fourth of July and Juneteenth.

But none seem as personal as Memorial Day. Death, after all, eventually comes to every household. And if any group of people earned an annual day of recognition, it is those soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Death is never a comfortable subject. Perhaps it’s one of the reasons “Memorial Day” has become more synonymous with barbecues and sales.

But Memorial Day is as good a time as any to pause for reflection on death as part of the daily landscape in 2022. It arrives in the shadow of another massacre at an elementary school in America. It arrives a few weeks after the COVID-19 death toll in the United States passed the mark of 1 million people. And it arrives as the United States weighs its support of Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Each of these narratives remain unfinished, but they are history lessons children will carry forward for the rest of their lives. Will America figure out a way to reverse the scourge of public massacres? Will we ever return to pre-COVID living conditions? What will America’s ultimate role be in confronting Russia?

These questions aren’t all that different from what Americans faced in the days leading up to past wars. The Americans we honor each offer lessons on the defining of the nation.

In the shadow of the Civil War about 150 years ago, there was a recognition that those who gave their lives for our country deserved a day of honor. It was essentially a local tradition for generations, a day when the graves of soldiers were decorated with U.S. flags.

Concerns over the fading meaning of the holiday are not new. Such complaints were already being voiced shortly after World War II.

Memorial Day was marked for years on March 30, before the Uniform Monday Holiday Act parked it on the final Monday of May to establish a threeday weekend for federal employees. That didn’t take effect until 1971, during the Vietnam War.

If anything, a long weekend means it should be easier to carve out time to mourn. Back in 2000, a year before 9/11, Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act. It was intended as a reminder of the meaning of Memorial Day, encouraging Americans to pause for a minute at 3 p.m. on the holiday to remember those who died shielding our freedoms.

It was well-intended, but has already been largely forgotten. A day on the calendar should be enough of a motivation to establish personal traditions to thank the fallen. A pause to consider a soldier’s gravestone. An hour or so at a local ceremony. A dive into family history. A conversation with a veteran. The sharing of posts on social media about the people this day is designed to honor.

It’s not hard to salute. But we all should raise our hands to participate in this most American of holidays.

Concerns over the fading meaning of the holiday are not new. Such complaints were already being voiced shortly after World War II.