Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 30 May 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #21 ISBN: pending Osiyo, Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, I just received word that my cousin in Peducah, KY heard what sounded like a train roaring toward her home. She reports that there indeed was a tornado which did some damage to their home. We hope nothing more serious to everyone in that area. Today is Decoration Day; the day we remember those who have died in our nation's service. We call it Memorial Day now. Everyone has their favorite story as to how it all began. The earliest known decorating the graves of soldiers were by southern women's groups before the close of the hostilities of the Civil War. President Lyndon Johnson declared [officially] the Memorial Day birthplace as Waterloo, NY in 1966. In 1868, General John Logan, as National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic proclaimed on May 5th in the General Order No. 11, that on 30 May 1868, flowers were to be placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. Though it all began as honoring those who died fighting int the Civil War, it was changed to honoring all Americans who died fighting in any war following World War I. When I was a boy, they sold poppies to be worn on Memorial Day to honor those who died. It became a tradition to sell poppies for Memorial Day with the proceeds going to the benefit of servicemen in need. This idea spread to France, where artificial flowers were made and sold for the benefit of war orphaned children and widowed women. The original meaning of the day has diminished in the minds and hearts of many Americans. In December 2000, the National Moment of Remembrance resolution was passed. This resolution asks all Americans to stop for a moment and observe remembrance and respect at 3 p.m. I noticed in my Sunday comics section that Garry Trudeau used six frames of the Doonesbury strip to list those who gave their lives in Iraq. He used their Christian names; not their initials. To restore the original meaning to Memorial Day, there are two bills laying in Congress; Senate Bill S189 and House Bill HR1474 which have never gotten out of committee. Well, very distant cousin, John Logan gets my thanks for his input for this day. Dad was a career Marine and served in WWII and Korea. But, I also like to remember Mom. Her name was May, not "Rosie", but she did what was encouraged for women during World War II, she worked in a factory for the War Effort. I can still see her walking along the Anthony Wayne Trail in Toledo, Ohio from Grandma's home to Bunting Brass and Bronze Company. There she made brass casings for artillery shells and bushings for airplanes. I also remember those full pants Mom wore in those days. Mom was one of six million "Rosies". The Rosie icon symbolized the strength and unwaivering support of our country. So while Dad was overseas doing his part, so Mom did her part on the home front filling in for those men who were overseas. The pay was somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty plus dollars a week. Mom used much of it to pay off debts of the Depression days. A couple of years ago, the most famous of the Rosie paintings was sold at auction for almost five million dollars. It was the painting of Rosie the Riveter by Norman Rockwell. To see it and read the story behind it, visit <http://www.rosietheriveter.org/painting.htm>. Bless all who have served this country in what ever capacity. e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: = = = = http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html