Memorial Day is just around the corner. Growing up in Ohio, Memorial Day weekend marked the beginning of summer – which was really more about anticipating warm weather and the end of school since most Memorial Days were still cold and dreary. We were still determined to celebrate that weekend with cook-outs and parties in anticipation of summer fun. This was also the weekend when the city pools would open up even if it wasn’t warm enough to swim yet. I have fond memories of great Memorial Day weekends spent as a youth and young adult.

I remember when we called it Decoration Day and everyone proudly flew an American flag by the front door. If you passed a cemetery, you’d see many small American flags and flowers placed on the graves of those who gave their lives for our country. Of course we had a day off of school which made it a special occasion and I clearly remember people standing on corners selling red poppies in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. We all bought those artificial red poppies and wore them with pride. I can’t remember the last time I saw one of those red poppies; that’s a little sad.

When I moved to Alabama as an adult, I was surprised to find that they did not celebrate this holiday. My first year there, I was looking forward to spending that long weekend with family at their beach home on Dauphin Island. I was amazed to learn that they considered Memorial Day a “yankee” holiday because initially it was observed to honor those who had died fighting the Civil War. They still held to the fact that there was nothing “civil” about that war – it was after all the “war of northern aggression.”

Now that I live in Florida, the anticipation for the Memorial Day weekend is a little different. We’ve already begun to have our summer weather, the pool has been “opened up” for some time now and cook-outs occur more than just on the weekend. It is still a three day weekend which means we can add one extra day to take care of those tasks we need to do around the house, get in an additional game of golf or add a trip to the beach. I often have visitors from the north for this long weekend and this year is no exception.

I will admit, however, that I rarely, if ever, have taken time to think about the true meaning of Memorial Day.  I have been doing more reflecting on that lately – maybe it’s a sign of old age.

Memorial Day was established in the 1860s to honor those who died fighting in the Civil War and after World War I, the holiday changed to honor all Americans who died fighting in any war. Unfortunately, traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years – gone are the big parades, the flying of American flags and the red poppies being sold on corners. There are some exceptions though and maybe it’s time for Girl Scouts in Florida to help bring back this holiday.

Since the late 50s, the 1200 soldiers of the 3rd US Infantry place small American flags at the 260,000+ gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery on the Thursday before Memorial Day. In St. Louis, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts place flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. Another tradition was begun in 1998 – both the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of the 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. It’s called the Luminaria Program and draws thousands of visitors.

Perhaps the girls in Girl Scouts of West Central Florida would like to start their own tradition to honor those who have given their lives for our country. There was a resolution passed in 2000 which asks that at 3:00 p.m. local time, all Americans “voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to ‘Taps’.” This may be a step in the right direction to returning the meaning of the day – to reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.

Are troops in West Central Florida doing anything special this year to observe this special day?