On Saturday, I celebrated Memorial Day with my mom and my Girl Scout troop in a special way. We went to the Los Angeles National Cemetery in Westwood to place American flags on the headstones of soldiers who have served our country in the military. There were so many other troops to help, including Daisies, Brownies, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Eagle Scouts.
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| Photo by Mallory's Mom |
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| Photo by Mallory's Mom |
I was very interested to read each soldier's headstone. Some fought in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. There were many soldiers who even fought in more than one war.
This memorable experience inspired me to come home and learn more about Memorial Day. I found out many interesting facts on Wikipedia.
Memorial Day Facts:
* Memorial Day used to be called "Decoration Day" during the Civil War.
* It wasn't until after World War II that the name changed to Memorial Day.
* In 1967, it was declared a national holiday.
* There are 88,000 graves in the Los Angeles National Cemetery.
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| Photo by Mallory's Mom |
Do you have anyone in your family who has served in the military?
Dear Mallory,
ReplyDeleteWow, what an honorable way to celebrated Memorial Day. It is nice that you chose to celebrate this holiday in the way it is supposed to be celebrated rather than just another day off of school or work. I learned many new things from reading your post and will say a prayer tomorrow for all the soldiers who died way too young to defend our country.
Best,
Victoria
Dear Mallory
ReplyDeleteI was glad to read how you commemorated the lives of the soldiers for Memorial Day. In New Zealand we also commemorate fallen soldiers, but on 25 April. Our day is called ANZAC Day, and it is also observed in Australia. Anzac is an acronym for Australia & New Zealand Army Corp.
In our town Anzac day is observed by a dawn service at 6am, then a community parade later at 10am. The schools and other community groups such as Scouts march in the parade led by a pipe band, then gather at the cenotaph where the list of fallen soldiers from our district is read out. It is a special day and many students take part.
How many flags do you think you placed that day?
warm wishes
Mrs McKenzie from New Zealand
Dear Mrs. McKenzie and B4,
DeleteThank you for your superior comment! :D
I think that Anzac Day sounds similar to Memorial Day, instead of scouts playing the pipes, the Eagle Scouts band plays Taps.
Because there were eighty-eight thousand graves there, eighty-eight thousand flags were placed.
How many graves are in a graveyard near you?
Sincerely,
Mallory
Dear Mallory,
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while since I have read your blog, and I
love all that you have written. I especially love
your pictures.
I am happy that you are a brownie. I can see that you
are learning to be helpfull to other people and that you appreciate our soldiers and how they risk their
lives to keep us safe. They are truly heroes. Your
trip to the cemetery on Memmorial Day was a perfect
outing. You are such a good person and I love you..
You are my sweet and caring grand daughter.
Love, Always
Bubbie..
Dear Bubbie,
DeleteThank you for taking the time to leave me a comment! :D
We went with a few girls from our troop, troop 276. At the cemetery, we listened to the Eagle Scout band playing Taps.
After the ceremony, we went to the park. At the park, one of our leaders brought some brand new books. She said, "We used are cookie money on books for Hope Gardens, a place for homeless people." We were proud we used our cookie money for something good.
Were you a Girl Scout?
Your granddaughter,
Mallory
Dear Mallory,
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic post about how you celebrated Memorial Day! I was deeply moved by your thoughtfulness and patriotism. You and your scout troop are role models for others.
It was interesting to hear about the protocol for placing the flags. (Protocol is a fancy word that means the official procedure or system for doing something.) I think it looks more dignified when everything looks neat and organized.
I loved how you wanted to learn more about Memorial Day so you researched the topic. Did you try searching World Book Online? I wonder if it has any additional information. In 1967, I was in first grade, so I don't remember it becoming a national holiday.
Were there any events happening at the cemetery? Sometimes they have people speaking during these national events.
Again, thank you for a very moving post!
Your patriotic teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mallory,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mrs. Yollis that this is a great blog post!
I have visited the National Cemetery in Arlington which looks very similar to some of the pictures that you have posted.
I don't have a specific routine for how I celebrate the holiday, but I generally get together with family and friends. Besides serving in the military myself several of my family members also served. Sadly, one of my great-uncles passed away in World War II. I have heard stories about how this devastated my family. Many families lost loved ones during this war. It is great to see young people learning about honoring those that have sacrificed their life for their country.
Be well,
Ms. Peyrot
Mallory, your mom told us that you guys were going to the cemetery to put up flags and we think it's super cool. We thought of you Sunday when we passed by the San Francisco National Cemetery and saw a sea of flags. It was closed when we drove by, but we leaned over the fence to take pictures. Maybe the Girl Scouts from up here placed them. I'll show you pictures when I see you next. Enjoy your weekend. I hope you have more fun plans!! Love, Auntie Sandi
ReplyDeleteDear Mallory,
ReplyDeleteWonderful post! It was really nice of you and your girl scout troop to honor the soldiers. You have an amazing blog, and I hope you keep posting these wonderful posts.
From,
Miriam