Monday is the annual observance of Memorial Day.
It is time set aside for the remembrance of the men and women who have died in the service of their country — particularly in battle or from wounds suffered in battle.
Yes, the three-day weekend gives many of us the chance to take our first extended outing of the warm season or to gather with family and friends for a cookout. For race fans, the Sunday of Memorial Day each year is the best day of the year with the running of Indianapolis 500, the World 600 at Charlotte and the Grand Prix of Monaco.
But let’s not forget the real reason that we’ve been celebrating Memorial Day since May 1968 (back then, it was called Decoration Day).
It really doesn’t matter what you call it, but the day began as a time when people visited cemeteries to decorate the graves of those who have given their lives during the Civil War. It later grew to encompass the dead from all wars.
In Jackson County, that includes the nearly 140 people who have died in the service of their country in war times since World War I.
That list includes Walter Arbuckle, the first Seymour man killed in action during World War I (he died July 25, 1918); Marine Pfc. Clarence H. McConnell of Ewing, who was killed in action May 10, 1945, in Okinawa; Pvt. Roscoe Lloyd Hawn of Crothersville, who was killed in action July 10, 1952 (his first day of combat) while serving as a rifleman in a battalion offensive in Korea; Marine Lance Cpl. James Elmore “Pete” Harrell of Cortland, who was killed in action March 29, 1967, near Da Nang in South Vietnam; and Marine Lance Cpl. Hunter Hogan of Norman, who was killed in combat June 23, 2012, in Afghanistan.
Traditionally, many cities and towns had parades on Memorial Day as a way of remembering the sacrifices of so many Americans. Most of those parades have fallen by the wayside, although many veterans groups still set aside time on Memorial Day to remember the fallen. That’s good.
Locally, Memorial Day celebrations are planned for 1 p.m. Sunday at Fairview Cemetery, 610 N. High St., Brownstown, and 11 a.m. Monday at Riverview Cemetery, 1603 Shields Ave., Seymour.
If you can’t attend one of those services, find a few minutes over this busy weekend to pause and remember those who have paid the ultimate price for the freedom of us all.