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Carol Perkins: Memorial Day and Our History Previous Column: Matters of the Heart By Carol Perkins "You think you're finished with the past, but the past is not finished with you," Metcalfe County High School history teacher Rob Bunch quoted from Friedrich Nietzsche when I asked about the insignificance of young people studying history and knowing about holidays such as Memorial Day. "I'm not sure who said this, but it's true." He goes on to say, "History is a mirror. We see ourselves and our ancestors. The more we learn about the past, the more involved we will be in our community, family, and in life." When we talked about Memorial Day, he knew without hesitation all about its history. Post-Civil War, the property was taken from General Lee (who owned 200 acres) and became what is now known as Arlington Cemetery. "General Lee could stand on his porch and see the graves of soldiers his men had put there. This was part of his punishment." The first military burial was in May of 1864, and it became a national cemetery in June of that year. Until Harry Truman was President, the cemetery was segregated. Today, Arlington is the burial ground of over 400,000 veterans and their families from the Revolutionary War to present-day conflicts. In November of 1921, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was dedicated and one of our own, Justin Bruce, served as a guard (the changing of the guard is an unbelievable ceremony) during his stint in the Army. He also met incoming fallen servicemen at Andrew's Airforce Base. The first official "Decoration Day" was in 1868 and continues today with flags waving from every grave. Memorial Day, as it was later renamed) began as a holiday to memorialize our fallen soldiers. In Metcalfe County, we have not been spared and we continue to remember. Benjamin Alfred Coleman, brother of Zack Coleman (Rob Bunch's grandfather), was killed in action in February of 1945 during WWII. "His family was given the option of bringing him home or burying him in Belgium where he was killed. The family decided to leave him with his brothers," Rob said. "I haven't been, but my grandfather (Zack) visited the site." Many Americans have made the journey to foreign lands to the final resting places of their soldiers killed in action. According to Rob, "We have to know our history to know ourselves." We are grateful to Rob Bunch and others like him who are keeping our history alive. (Rob is the son of Patty and Herby Bunch of Edmonton.) You can contact Carol at carolperkins06@gmail.com. This story was posted on 2024-05-27 08:26:20
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Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Carol Perkins:
Carol Perkins: Matters of the Heart Carol Perkins: An email from Virginia Carol Perkins: The Tiller Carol Perkins: Circle the Square Carol Perkins: Stay OUT Carol Perkins: Squirrel Soup Carol Perkins: Purple Chicks Carol Perkins: Happy Birthday Mama Carol Perkins: Drop Your Drawers Carol Perkins: Wood for Sale View even more articles in topic Carol Perkins |
 
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