Memorial Day Here in Townsend
Author: Tony Wagner, American Legion Post 42
Memorial Day Here in Townsend Tony Wagner American Legion Post 42 This Monday, May 29, 2023, at 11 am, The American Legion will hold a Memorial Day ceremony at the Memorial Veteran Park on Broadway in Townsend.
If the weather is uncooperative, the event will be moved indoors to the American Legion Hall at 211 Broadway. After the ceremony, a free/donations-accepted build-a-burger luncheon will be available at the American Legion. All Townsend community members, guests, and friends are welcome!
The Origins of Memorial Day date back to just after the Civil War. Remembrances were held across many states on May 5th, the date of the end of the civil war. The first large-scale ceremony was held 3 years later at Arlington National Cemetery and the date was moved to May 30th, as it was believed that flowers would be in bloom in most states by then.
At the time, it was called Decoration Day and the graves of those fallen during the Civil War were decorated with flowers.
After WWI, the day came to recognize those who died in all our nation's wars and was renamed Memorial Day. In 1971, the Observance of Memorial Day was moved to the last Monday of May. On Memorial Day, the president places a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier in Arlington and across the country religious services, parades, and speeches are held and flowers, wreaths, and flags are placed on the graves of veterans across America.
Please come and help the American Legion recognize our fallen veterans this coming Memorial Day by attending this ceremony.
