After a long period of pandemic isolation, many people may desire to eschew commemoration for three days of communal frivolity. We should reject that urge.
Instead, we should pause and reflect on the sacrifices made by our nation’s warriors. Whether the season is one of joy or one of hardship, it is our duty to preserve Memorial Day. This year’s holiday offers a mixture of options that will allow everyone to honor the men and women who gave their lives for each other and for us.
Wearing a poppy is a long-standing Memorial Day tradition. To learn about its origins, read The Poppy Lady, Barbara Elizabeth Walsh’s retelling of how Moina Belle Michael, inspired by John McCrae’s poem In Flanders Fields, began distributing poppies to honor the fallen.
Representatives from the American Legion will give out poppies on May 28, National Poppy Day, and in some cases, throughout the weekend. Though not required, donations help the legion support veterans. You can also purchase a poppy pin, or make your own poppy with simple supplies.
A relatively new and related tribute, the USAA Poppy Wall of Honor remains virtual this year. On the website, readers can find information about the 645,000 service members who have given their lives during our nation’s history. Visitors can dedicate a poppy to a fallen service member and share their remembrance on social media.
The annual Memorial Day concert, typically held on the West Lawn of the Capitol the night before Memorial Day, will once again be prerecorded and televised. Hosted by Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise, it will feature acts including the National Symphony Orchestra, Gladys Knight, Sara Bareilles, and Alan Jackson. The 90-minute show airs on PBS and streams on YouTube and Facebook at 8 p.m. on May 30.
For those who lost loved ones during military service, Memorial Day weekend often involves a visit to one of 155 Department of Veterans Affairs cemeteries. After nearly a year of restrictions on visitation, as of May 26, all vaccinated visitors will be welcome at every VA cemetery, in groups of any size, without a masking requirement. Large events remain on pause, but friends and families can gather to visit the gravesites of loved ones, and volunteers can lay flags at gravesites.
This year, Arlington National Cemetery has likewise relaxed its restraints in time for Memorial Day. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is once again open to the public, but access is restricted. Visitors to the cemetery will undergo screening at the cemetery’s entrance, and while face coverings are not required outdoors, all individuals will be required to wear a mask while indoors.
Those who can’t travel to Arlington National Cemetery can make a virtual visit. They may also petition the Honor Project to leave a flag at their loved one’s gravesite. Through the Honor Project, Emily Domenech and volunteers from the Travis Manion Foundation will place more than 4,000 flags on the graves of fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day.
Many Memorial Day observances will be streamed for audiences around the country. Check local VA cemeteries and memorials for wreath-laying observances and other commemorations available online. Also likely to be available for online viewing, a wreath will be laid on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at 11 a.m. on May 31.
A National Moment of Remembrance will take place May 31 at 3 p.m. People are asked to observe a moment of silence to “reclaim Memorial Day as the sacred and noble event that [it] is intended to be.”
There are many other ways to celebrate the day and honor our heroes. Devote a few moments to reading In Flanders Fields or Annette Wynne’s Memorial Day. Share the solemnity of the day with family with Margot Theis Raven‘s Rags: Hero Dog of WWI, or Jane Barclay’s Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion. Ask a veteran friend or loved one who they are remembering and whether, and how, you can honor that person, too.
You can also create a hallowed space to honor the fallen by taking inspiration from the Missing Man Table. In this heartfelt military tradition, a physical table, covered in objects with poignant symbolism, is reserved for the fallen. Prior to commencing with festivities, an emcee explains each element on the table so that all assembled may reflect on those who are unable to join the revelry. Try creating a centerpiece based on the elements of the table or reading aloud from Margot Theis Raven’s America’s White Table.
But whatever you do this Memorial Day weekend, do something that means something more than fun.
Beth Bailey (@BWBailey85) is a freelance writer from the Detroit area.
