Published: May 29, 2008 05:36 pm      

HARDING: Today is Memorial Day

Besides being my birthday today, May 30 is the true Memorial Day. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and serves as a day to remember those who have died defending our country.

The first Memorial Day was celebrated on May 30, 1868 in honor of Union and Confederate soldiers that died in the Civil War. New York was the first state to acknowledge this holiday and celebrate the day in honor of those who perished serving their country.

Memorial Day should be celebrated today, not on Monday. In fact, Veterans Day should be the same way. Too often, we look at these days as just another day off of work or another day off from school. They mean more than that and should be treated as such.

Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-HI, has supported legislation in the past that would eliminate the Monday holiday and allow for celebration whenever Memorial Day fell on the calendar. If it falls on a Monday, you celebrate it on a Monday. If it falls on a Friday, you should celebrate it on a Friday.

My problem with these holidays is that people are just treating them as “another Monday off” instead of Memorial Day. My usual Memorial Day routine involves visiting my grandfather’s grave. My grandfather did not die in combat, but he was a World War II veteran who served valiantly for his country. He didn’t parade around and “show off” the fact he was a veteran. It was something he did not wear on his sleeve. Based on what my mother and others have told me, my grandfather treated it like it was a job. When it was done, it was done. There was no sense in talking about it.

Memorial Day has always been more to me than just a day off. That is due mostly to my grandfather and his service. Four of my father’s best friends served in the Armed Forces. They are all veterans of the past. Now, due to Afghanistan and Iraq, we have veterans of the present who deserve the same honor and respect that our fathers and grandfathers received.

I would call on my next congressman, who could certainly be a man that I support — Jon Powers — to present such legislation to the House of Representatives and ask my senators to do the same. Memorial Day is more than barbecues, picnics, camping, parades and sales at Wal-Mart. It should be about honoring our fallen and remembering their sacrifice, instead of saying we didn’t have to sacrifice extra cash because we got a buy-one-get-one free deal at our area department store.

Let me put it in this context. Imagine if we used the same principle with Christmas and said that on the final Monday of every December, we would celebrate Christmas.

That wouldn’t make sense to me either. So why do it with holidays where we are supposed to honor the men and women who enable us to live in peace and celebrate such holidays?

May 30 should be the true time to celebrate Memorial Day. That is how it was intended and that is how it should be recognized.

Robert Harding is a Medina native and a student at the State University of New York at Fredonia. For comments, e-mail him at robert.harding22@gmail.com.