EDITOR'S NOTE: The following editorial was originally published on May 25, 2015.
We pause today to honor the men and women who have died serving our country in the U.S. military, a sacrifice that can never truly be repaid.
Many of us recall the observance's original name, Decoration Day, as a time to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. It is interesting to note that, according to the official Memorial Day history published by the Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, it is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.
Started as a way to honor the dead of the Civil War, the observance was expanded after World War I to honor those who have died in all American wars, and in 1971 Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by act of Congress.
In reflecting on the sacrifices of the men and women of our community, we were recently reminded of an article written for the 26th edition of The Record, the annual publication of the Garland County Historical Society, by the late Mamie Ruth Stranberg Abernathy.
Abernathy, an educator, penned some sterling words about the Armed Forces in an article recounting the history of Hot Springs Special School District No. 6 that bear repeating today.
"Patriotism runs high in support of the Armed Forces of our country during the time that men have to leave their homes, jobs and schools to serve their country. They believed as they had been taught, perhaps, that a country worth living in is worth fighting for," Abernathy wrote in 1985.
During World War I, the girl students in Hot Springs schools "often took khaki yarn to school to knit socks and scarves for soldiers during their recess time. 'Over There,' 'Let Me Call You Sweetheart,' 'There are Smiles That Make Us Happy,' "There's a Long, Long Trail A-Winding' are some of the songs that were sung by those still in school and at home and by the 'doughboys' who went to fight in Europe in 1917," she wrote.
"Each year on Nov. 11 at 11:00 a.m. mill whistles would blow and school pupils throughout the District stood, with hands over hearts, for a minute of silence in remembrance of the fallen soldiers from World War I" following the signing of the Armistice on Nov. 11, 1918.
During World War II, "echoing through the halls of the schools, many patriotic songs of World War II vintage could be heard in classrooms or at special programs: 'The Marine's Hymn,' Army Air Corps Song,' 'God Bless America,' 'There'll Be Blue Birds Over the White Cliffs of Dover,' 'Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer.' Pupils in the schools were affected because many of their fathers and brothers were called into service and these tunes inspired patriotism and loyalty to the country."
"Fathers, sons and brothers were called upon to serve their country in Korea in the early 1950s and then in a faraway country that students (and parents) had scarcely heard of: Vietnam."
Music classes in Jones School wrote friendly letters to men aboard the USS Oriskany, USS Tutila, and other branches of the military in which fathers of some students (or son of a teacher) were obliged to serve their country, Abernathy wrote.
"Effects of wartime on children and their children are far-reaching and can only be accounted in years to come," she wrote. "Not all effects are immediately observed. Time, alone, will tell whether there will ever be another time for students of the Hot Springs School District to rally in support of men and women in service of our country."
As we noted a year ago, wars come and go, but the sacrifices of our men and women in arms should never fade with time, perhaps the greatest enemy of all to our freedom. For as we go about our daily lives, caught up in the whirlwind of work, school and play, it is easy to forget that none of that would have been possible without a slain soldier on a battlefield, who knew there was something bigger at stake than their own life.
In December 2000, "The National Moment of Remembrance Act" was passed, creating the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance, which "encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation."
Let us take a moment today to remember and honor the men and women in uniform who have died in service to our nation.
Editorial on 05/29/2017