Do You Know the Real Meaning of Memorial Day?

There is something special about observing Memorial Day and it involves reconciliation. In other words, the history of this observance finds its genesis in the Civil War and the families who carried on with their lives after losing loved ones in combat.

There are a lot of claims as to its actual beginnings, with many cities claiming to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. Organized women groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War to observe the lost of the war dead.

President Lyndon Johnson officially declared Waterloo, New York as the birthplace of Memorial Day. He attributed it to Henry C. Welles, a druggist in Waterloo, New York. At a social gathering Mr. Welles suggested that a day should be set aside to honor the dead of the Civil War. The following year he repeated his suggestion to General John P. Murray, the two men and a group formed of local citizens gained the support of the village they lived in and on May 5, 1865, the first complete observance took place in Waterloo, New York.

Given there were numerous claims of who was the first to commemorate this observance, it was evident each of the towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in General John Logan, National Commander of the Republic giving his proclamation in 1868.

It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that the observance was established. Memorial Day is not about reconciliation, it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all. Where are we today in our understanding of Memorial Day?

Sadly, some American citizens are not aware of the real meaning of Memorial Day, in fact some people think its about cookouts and or vacation time at the beach. While there is nothing wrong with special family outings and having a good time, this observance is about the men and women in uniform who went in harms way, lost their lives so we can live with liberty, freedom and the pursuit of happiness.

It is easy to see how our lack of understanding this observance has declined, simply drive by cemeteries and you will see the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored and neglected. Some towns and cities still hold Memorial Day parades, however many have not held a parade in decades.

What is most alarming is some people think Memorial Day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country. After World War 1, observances also began to honor those who had died in all American Wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the National Moment of Remembrance resolution was passed on December 2000 which asks that at 3:00pm local time, for all Americans to voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to taps.

Today, Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington Cemetery with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. Also, it is customary for the president or vice president to give a speech honoring the contributions of the dead and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

I highly encourage you to participate in an observance in your local community, without our men and women in uniform making the ultimate sacrifice, likelihood is we would have lost our liberty, freedom and way of life to an enemy.

Today as our men and women in uniform fight two simultaneous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, some have lost their lives in defense of a grateful nation and all of us should honor their service. I highly recommend you encourage your family and neighbors pay their respect to Americans who gave their life so we could live.

Paul Lawrence Vann delivers insight on the meaning of Memorial Day. He served 20 years in the United States Air Force and worked on the personal staff of a member of Congress and the House Armed Services Committee. Paul is author of the book, Living on Higher Ground and is interviewed by radio stations throughout the U.S. to provide awareness to a new generation of Americans, unaware of the significance of this observance. http://www.paullawrencevann.com, (240) 416-5077.

How to Send Care Packages to Troops Overseas

Care packages for troops on duty overseas are not only needed, but are still the best way to 'thank you'. While most basic needs of troops are already provided for, there are always certain items that are in short supply.

For example, prepaid phone cards are the best and most useful things to send troops overseas, according to the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, whose phone campaign is called Help Our Troops Call Home. Prepaid phone cards can be sent to individual troops or to any troop via a service such as the American Red Cross. As well as phone cards, send a batch of blank greeting cards, so that troops can remember loved ones back home.

Food and beverage items that remind troops of the tastes and smells of home are always cherished. Small individually packaged items such as instant coffee, hot chocolate packets, and sugar packets, are always needed. Instant food items such as breakfast foods, instant soup mixes, and ready-to-eat meals and salad kits, are ideal. Also, individual packs of snacks, such as chips, peanuts, pretzels, cereal and granola bars, brownies, cakes, candy and gum. Chocolate items are a bad idea, because chocolate melts.

Personal items, such as T-shirts, hats and gloves, flip flops or shower shoes, and shoe polish are great.

Other items such as sunscreen and lotion and wrap around sunglasses are vitally important as many troops are stationed in very hot areas. Other hygiene items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, Band-Aids.

Entertainment is a luxury that troops need. Send items such as movies DVDs and music CDs, magazines, handheld electronic games, and playing cards.

But most of all, send cash. In this post-911 world some items may have difficulty getting through and the military's supply system is already overloaded. Sending cash, while less personal, is often quicker and more practical. A quick Internet search will bring up websites with lots of information on how to send cash or packages to troops overseas.

Dylan Miles, journalist, and website builder, lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.militarylife.info on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

Rally the Troops with Inner Fire

Many who thrive in the workplace are those bursting with drive and determination. These folks who are motivated by their jobs.

Every person who works have personal reasons for working. While most work for money, others work because they love their jobs and because experience a sense of fulfillment. Some work because they desire to aid others or to feel distinguished in a field. People work because they are motivated by certain reasons.

A core reason why people are driven to work is because of the earning potential. Money is a key factor in working. Money is also the motive why most people are inflamed to get degrees or intense training for their jobs. They seek to better themselves in their workplace to attain a higher pay. Compensation for work pays the bills, stocks the fridge, buys clothing for the kids and allows for people to enjoy leisure activities. When people receive commensurate pay for the work they do, they are more spurred to work harder and more efficiently. An employer who underestimates the power of money is making a grave mistake. Not fairly compensating an employee can mean losing that person to a high paying job. Money can motivate almost any employee to labor more efficiently.

Additionally, another reason why people spend nine hours or more a day at work is because they crave recognition for their performance. Without proper recognition, employees will slack off.

Recognition comes in many forms. In fact, after money, recognition is one of the main reasons why people search for advanced jobs. They desire to work for a company where they feel secure with their future and know that they have a chance for promotion. Employees want others that work with them to feel equally responsible and work just as hard. Most employees feel that fellow workers should be fired or suffer demotions if they do not work as hard as they do. The failure to discipline slacking employees results in severe office demotivation.

A further reason why people feel motivated to work is because they want their employer to recognize what is significant to them. Those who work desire flexibility in their itinerary and feel that if their employer cannot offer this, then they will look for alternatives. Workers want their supervisors to know that they have brilliant ideas too and they do not want to feel belittled about expressing their ideas. Employees also feel more driven when they feel comfy about talking to their supervisors even if it is a complaint. They will take comfort in knowing that they have sympathetic supervisors and can go to them when they need to express concerns at the workplace.

Employers can also boost morale and motivation among employees by sympathizing with unique employee needs. Some employees may feel that they want to be in control of their work environment. They don't feel inspired if they constantly have a supervisor looking over their shoulder and deconstructing their labor. Give workers their space and enough breathing room to stretch their creativity. They'll enjoy a sense of ownership over the output of their labors and reward you with passionate service.

Naturally, the best way to nurture motivation throughout the workplace is to provide an environment where all employees feel valued. It is necessary for supervisors to understand that each individual is different and is motivated for different reasons. They need to understand what each employee seeks and their reason for laboring. Find out these hot buttons and productivity will soar.

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An expert at NLP and negotiation, Joseph R. Plazo, Ph.D conducts leadership executive coaching and helps people find great jobs in the Philippines.

Ten Ways to Support our Troops Overseas

You know the situation our troops face everyday. We live in dangerous times and our soldiers are laying down their lives to keep all of us, you and me, safe and secure at home.

Maybe you know someone in the military. Perhaps you son is in the Army, your brother is a Marine, your niece is in the Air Force or your neighbor serves in the Navy. You may even have been in the National Guard at one point.

Yet even if no one you know is in the military service, you understand a soldier's duty and sacrifice. And you can't just sit idly by and do nothing.

Right at this moment, this country is engaged in a supreme struggle to secure our future. Whether you agree or disagree with our reasons for going to war in Iraq, you have to acknowledge that we are in it for the long haul. In the United States, we don't "cut and run," when things get difficult. And so, our fighting men and women sacrifice themselves, literally, ever day so that we, you and I, can live the life we so much enjoy in America.

These brave young people in the armed services recognize their duty to stand up against threats to our way of life. They have volunteered to go into harm's way on our behalf. Imagine the courage and strength of character required to do that for people, most of whom they'll never know personally. Indeed, we owe a debt of gratitude to them for what they're doing for us.

Most of us, unless we've also been in the service during a war, will never know what our soldiers do every day while overseas. Many people don't really want to know – it's too agonizing to envision. Yet the fight is not only the troops' alone. We too have responsibilities even as we live comfortably with our families at home.

Here's how to support our troops overseas: We need to know what's going on, know why, contact our representatives to let them know how we feel, know who is over there, write them, send them pictures from home, chat with them on-line, send them a gift or care package, prepare for their return home, and pray for their safety and well-being.

Paul Stober

Funerals - Military Funerals

In this article we're going to discuss funerals that have more tradition associated with them than probably any other. Military funerals.

Military funerals are loaded with tradition. A final farewell to a fallen comrade is one of the most glorious events that any person can attend.

The first thing that one notices at a military funeral is the flag draped casket. The blue field of the flag is placed at the head of the casket, just over the left shoulder of the deceased. This custom actually began long ago during the Napoleonic Wars of the 18th century. A flag was used to cover the dead as they were taken off the battle field.

If you take a good look, you will notice that the horses that pull the casket during a military funeral all have saddles on them. However, the horses on the left have riders on them while the horses on the right do not. This is also taken from old times when the primary means of moving ammunition was by horse. The riderless horses carried the provisions.

There is a single riderless horse that follows the procession. This horse is called the caparisoned horse because of its ornamental coverings. By tradition, in a military funeral, this horse follows the casket only of a soldier of rank colonel or above or the casket of the President, who is the commander in chief of the armed forces.

At the graveside itself, military honors consist of the firing of three volleys, each by seven service members. This is very often confused with the 21 gun salute, which is actually for honors not associated with funerals at all. However, the number of guns fired in both are the same.

The three volleys came from an old battlefield custom. The two sides at war with each other would cease fighting in order to clear their dead from the battlefield. The firing of the three volleys meant that the dead soldiers had all been removed from the field and that battle could resume. War was relatively civilized back then.

In the case of the death of a former or current president, there are additional salutes and traditions. On the day following the death of a president unless the day falls on a Sunday or a holiday, the commanders of each army installation order that one gun be fired every half hour beginning at reveille and ending at retreat. In the case of a Sunday or a holiday this is held over until the next day.

On the actual day of the funeral, the 21 minute gun salute is fired starting at noon at all military installations across the country. These guns are fired at one minute intervals. Also, on the day of the funeral there is a 50 gun salute. This is one gun for each state. This is done at five-second intervals upon lowering of the flag for the day. "Hail To The Chief" is then played if the funeral is for a past or present president.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Funerals