By Dorothy Meindok
The Post Newspaper Veterans Consultant
Many people get confused and some mistakenly conclude they are interchangeable holidays simply because they honor US Military personnel. So that you don’t find yourself unknowingly uttering the offensive phrase, “Happy Memorial Day,” here is a snapshot history and a local gathering in Dickinson on Monday morning where you can learn more by getting to know the veterans & local community of a Galveston County VFW nestled off of Highway 3.
I’m also cordially inviting the community to attend “The Watchfire,” historically hosted since inception by Vietnam Veterans of America #685 and now with the support of a new generation accepting the challenge to carry on legacy, Operation Honor Our Local Veterans of Galveston County, TX. Watchfire begins at 6:00pm in Jack Brooks Park on Sunday, May 28, 2023.
Memorial Day, which began as “Decoration Day,” originated “for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.” There is some controversy over who held the first observances and where exactly the “Birthplace of Memorial Day” is but what we do know for sure is that President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed that honor belonged to Waterloo, New York because of their recorded history of formal observance dating back to May 5, 1866. In 1868, Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of The Republic issued General Order No. 11 designating the holiday to be on May 30 of each year which was followed for decades.
In 1968 Congress passed the “Uniform Monday Holiday Act” to help create 3-day weekends for federal employees in civil service. Subsequently, in 1971, Memorial Day became the long weekend of observance that we know today and is observed on the last Monday of the month of May. Memorial Day and the attached weekend observance is a time for America to reflect and honor the ones that gave ALL, their lives sacrificed so that We can benefit from the quiet enjoyment of freedom that this great country is surely capable of affording given such a high price already paid. Many veterans and active-duty members accept this knowledge as an obligation to continue to live life for and in memory of them, the fallen.
Amongst the observances and Old Glory, you may also see motorcycle patches, bumper stickers, T-shirts, and even tattoos on previous active duty persons that say, “All Gave Some, SOME GAVE ALL.” Just remember that Memorial Day is the “’some” who gave all where Veterans Day, on November 11, is “all” the rest of us that gave some and are still living. It can be an emotional day for the living which is why some feel offended at the words “Happy Memorial Day” or the over commercialization of the sacred holiday.
Come learn more about some of Galveston County’s local veteran community and join us as we share local veteran history and honor the fallen at Watchfire on Sunday at Jack Brooks Park in Hitchcock and/or come have a coffee and share in the observance ceremonies Monday morning, Memorial Day at 10:00am in Dickinson at VFW Post #6378, 5204 Highway 3. Even if your schedule is packed, you can participate in observation by driving by League City’s Transition Plus, Memorial Day Field of Honor, on display now in the fields of the Bay Harbour United Methodist Church on the corner of FM 518 & South Shore Blvd at 3459 Deke Slayton Hwy. The exhibit of love and remembrance was set up by veteran and community members of Transitions Plus, seen in the picture below.
These are but a few of the events in our part of Texas that are being held to honor our fallen heroes and however you may decide to observe, please remember to be safe.
Dorothy Meindok is The Post Newspaper’s Veterans Consultant. Ms. Meindok served her nation in the United States Navy and is currently a practicing lawyer advocating for our nation’s veterans. Her column appears on Sundays.
