Under cloudy skies, members of Troop 35 and Cub Pack 35 along with representatives of the Armed Forces, the Kennedale Fire Department, families of veterans and other members of the community gathered together on the lawn of Emerald Hills Memorial Park to pay respects to the community?s veteran on Saturday morning. {{more}}
KHS Sophomore Celsey Marie Ward-Braddock sang the National Anthem
A short service was followed by the planting of the American flag on the graves of veterans laid to rest in the Park.
A small group of approximately 6o people came out despite the threatening skies to participate in the ceremonies. The rain held off during the ceremony but begin to fall during the planting of the flags afterwards. It never stopped the scouts and others who had scattered across the park with small flags in hand.
Kennedale residence and veteran, Melvin Cooper, spoke to the groups reminding them of the history of Memorial Day and asking the young members present to pass down to their children, reminding them, this something our country does to honor those who have served in our military, especially those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.
Kennedale resident and veteran Melvin Cooper spoke to the gathered crowd
Cooper told the crowd that Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. It was a day of rememberance for those who died in service of the United States of America. The official birthplace of Memorial Day is Waterloo, New York as declared by President Lyndon Johnson in May of 1966. Memorial Day was actually born out of the Civil War. It was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan who was the National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic with General Order #11. The Order proclaimed the 30th day of May with the purpose of decorating graves with flowers, comrades in arms whose bodies lie in almost every city, every village, hamlet and church yard in the land.
On the first ?Decoration Day?, General James Garfield address a crowd of 5,000 at Arlington Cemetery who then decorated the graves of over 20,000 soldiers, Union and Confederate, that were buried there. By 1890, it was recognized by all of the northern states but the southern states refused to acknowledge the date until after WWI when it became truly a national day.
Members of Troop 35 with others plant flag at ceremonies
Cooper ended by pointing out that although Memorial Day has become a time of holiday sales and family cookouts and trips to the lake, ?the true meaning is that we still need to keep coming to these occasions to recognize and honor the people who have fallen before us and that has truly giving us the liberty, the freedom to be able to do these [other] things.?
?I thank the good Lord that he has provided this day for us,? said Cooper.
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