The two sides of Memorial Day

Once again, the time has come for us to celebrate the traditional kick-off of spring. Although the spring equinox took place two months ago, the Memorial Day weekend provides an opportunity, for those who have not already done so, to haul the boat out of mothballs, spruce up the lawn, and fire up the grill. At last glance, the weather forecast looked favorable in our region with high temperatures in the low 90s and our beloved Nebraska winds ranging between ten and twenty miles per hour.

The American Auto Association tells us that 39.2 million people will travel 50 miles or more this weekend, which is up 25% over last year but has not quite reached pre-pandemic numbers. Could gas prices be a factor? Well, yes. Of the 39.2 million folks traveling for Memorial Day, 34.9 million people will be driving automobiles, and as a percentage of total travel, driving is down from 92.1% last year to 88.9% this year. With a projected national average of $4.60 per gallon, the pain at the pump is a driving factor, but what AAA did not discuss is that passengers may be more comfortable with air travel as pandemic levels decline.

AAA has also determined that the top domestic destinations for Memorial Day travel are Orlando, Seattle and Miami, while the leading international vacation spots are Vancouver, Dublin and Paris. Disappointingly, Bartley failed to make the list again this year.

For those of us staying home, USDA says that 57% of us will be grilling over the holiday weekend and that the majority of grillers will be serving more than one type of protein but at an increased cost. The average national price for ground beef this weekend is projected at $4,92 per pound, up from $4.10, and steaks (no particular cut mentioned) are up to $9.70 from $8.66 last year. Those figures struck me as being low. Do those numbers reflect your experience?

Then, of course, there is the mighty hot dog. Last year’s average price was $3.81 per pound, but that figure is up to $5.22 this year. Regardless of the increase, hot dog consumption on Memorial Day alone is predicted to exceed 69 million. That shakes out to more than 800 tube steaks consumed in the U.S. per second. Meanwhile, the eternal conundrum of hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight will continue to vex American consumers. With any luck, someone in the family will be on a Keto diet and make things right.

Memorial Day is a time when I get a bit misty-eyed as I recall times when my children were toddlers. On both Memorial Day and Labor Day, our traditional bookends to the summer, we would drag out our $20 swimming pool, and neighborhood parents would join us in our lifeguard’s Adirondacks while the kids screamed, splashed, and generally ran amok.

I also recall years before, when my mother would rotate her wardrobe to summer wear. In her position as a cog in the D.C. fashion retail business, she took such things very seriously. The wearing of white shoes before Memorial Day was viewed about as favorably as throwing rocks at the pope, but her view of summer clothing was more nuanced than that. She paid strict attention to color and fabric and seemed to have an outfit for everything. Her Memorial Day attire would most likely involve white linen slacks with a blue anchor printed blouse and a red accessory of some sort.

All of this focus on food, travel and the occasional Givenchy grilling ensemble have little to do with an otherwise somber holiday, but in my opinion, there is no shame to be had in our secular festivities. It’s 100% pure Americana and provides an opportunity to let off a bit of steam accumulated during a hard, cold winter, but let’s not forget the reverential side of the holiday.

The roots of Memorial Day are many, but the most commonly recognized origin is found in an observance dubbed “Decoration Day.” Held by the Grand Army of the Republic on May 30, 1868, the emphasis of the event was on the decoration of Civil War graves. The GAR, as it was known, was composed of former Union Soldiers primarily as a benevolent organization but was also active in promoting the rights of black veterans and was widely regarded as an extension of the Republican Party.

Although the GAR had state chapters throughout the post-war South, a parallel organization known as the United Confederate Veterans held similar observances in former Confederate states, though usually in the month of April. Despite their political differences, the remembrances were eventually merged to include veterans from both sides of the Civil War and ultimately extended to veterans of all wars.

Until 1971, Memorial Day had been observed on May 30, but when Congress recognized Memorial Day as a federal holiday under the Uniform Holiday Act, it was moved to the last Monday in May to create a three-day weekend. Over time, the holiday was expanded further to honor more than those who died while serving in the military, and now includes any deceased veteran who has worn the uniform and assumed the inherent risk.

Our cemeteries, National Cemeteries in particular, provide a history lesson that includes veterans from all conflicts ranging from the American Revolution to current day hostilities in the Middle East. This year, we have a further reminder of the spirit of the holiday provided by the brave combatants in Ukraine. Facing a superior force, the people of Ukraine have chosen to fight, rather than be subjugated.

Ukrainians have done the math, and they have made a conscious decision to risk their lives against a superior force, rather than be overtaken by an unhinged despot. Naturally, we draw inspiration from those brave souls, but they also help us appreciate the mindset of the many U.S. veterans, generations before us, who made the same decision and in many cases, paid with their lives.

In the Bible, depending upon your preferred version, John 15:13 tells us, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” I will leave the deep dive on that to biblical scholars, but as I read it, the message is clear. We value soldiers in western culture as we value our freedom. Memorial Day sets a special time aside for us to remember our fallen friends, and religious tradition says we should.

For many years, I was somewhat bothered by the seeming discord between the somber meaning of Memorial Day and our decidedly less-serious, often playful observation of the holiday. With time, I have grown to view it as a two-part holiday, and more specifically, cause and effect. First, we mourn our dead, then we honor them by enjoying the comforts that they fought so hard to preserve.

No one, in my humble opinion summed up the spirit of Memorial Day better than Abraham Lincoln who, in his brief address at Gettysburg, said, “From these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”