Memorial Day weekend is just hours away! The unofficial kickoff of
summer is upon us. Like so many holidays, a three-day weekend gives us the
ability to spend more time doing the things we enjoy. The fact that the weather
is getting warmer means that many of those activities will be outside –
happening in backyards, sports facilities, parks, sidewalks and streets. Here
is one more activity I would encourage you to do on Memorial Day: fly a flag.

Memorial Day was made an official national holiday in 1971. That is when
Congress voted to make the last Monday in May the day to remember military
veterans who had been killed in the line of duty. Memorial Day actually has
much deeper roots than this congressional act. It started shortly after the
American Civil War, when 620,000 men were killed. Our concept of honoring
veterans at military cemeteries came about after the Civil War. Places like
Arlington and military cemeteries at battlefield sites came about as a result
of the post-war effort to honor these fallen soldiers and sailors. After WWI,
it was expanded to include all military veterans who had died in wars, not just
those of the Civil War. Originally called Decoration Day, it was set aside to
decorate the graves of the war dead. This was the intent of Memorial Day.

You might be thinking, have we lost the meaning and sacredness of
Memorial Day? Does all of our backyard cookouts and watching the Indy 500
desecrate the memory of those who gave – as President Lincoln so powerfully
said over the dead of Gettysburg – “the last full measure of devotion”? I think
not. I believe that if those soldiers could bear witness to what we have done
with the day of remembrance, the fact that we are living in freedom and
enjoying time with the people we love, they would say it is a day worth living
to its fullest… as long as we don’t forget the sacrifice that made it all
possible.

I was raised by a veteran of WWII. My dad served in the Pacific Theater
during that war. My grandfather was a veteran of WWI, spending time in the
trenches of France. Many of my neighbors, teachers, coaches and fathers of my
friends had been in the military during wartime. It was a big deal to them to
fly the flag on Memorial Day and to do so in an honorable way. That is why I
make sure to have my flag flying as the sun rises.

Some Memorial Day flag etiquette is always important to know. According
to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, on Memorial Day, the flag should be
flown at half-mast from sunup until noon. The proper way to set the flag at
half-mast is to lift it briskly to the top of the staff and then slowly lower
it to half-mast. At noon, it should be raised to the top of the staff once
again. If you have a wall-mounted flag and your holder is adjustable, the
proper angle for a full-mast is 45 degrees and half-mast is 90 degrees
(perpendicular) to the wall. If you don’t have a flagpole that allows you to
raise or lower the flag, you can attach a black ribbon at the top of the staff
to show respect for the dead.

Have a happy Memorial Day! Take time to remember the heroes who gave
their lives for our freedom.