Daily Rant /

It’s Not Just About Pool Openings: Remembering What Memorial Day Really Means

  |   By Liz Peek

A closeup shot of rows of American flags on a field

Good Morning! My Memorial Day Not-a-Rant!

Today at 3 pm local time, the nation will pause for a minute-long moment of silence, called the National Moment of Remembrance. Taps will sound in many locations, baseball games will take a time out, Amtrak trains will blow their whistles and people everywhere will take a minute to “demonstrate gratitude to those who died for our freedom”, according to the original White House Millenium Council memo establishing this tradition.

The Moment will also “remind all Americans of the importance of remembering those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.”
And: “To make Memorial Day relevant, especially to younger Americans.”

This tradition was born in 2000, when, according to the White House, a group of schoolchildren touring Lafayette Park in Washington, DC, were asked by the Commission’s Director, Carmella LaSpada, what Memorial Day means. They responded, “That’s the day the pools open.”

Adults might have answered, that’s when we restock our linen closet!

A May 2000 Gallup poll revealed that only 28% of Americans knew the true meaning of Memorial Day. In response, a horrified Congress, along with President George W. Bush, created a Commission on Remembrance, to promote the values of Memorial Day by acts of remembrance throughout the year.

Today, a recent survey found that 52% of Americans believe Memorial Day has lost its original meaning. Only 48% of Gen Z respondents (ages 18-27) primarily associate the holiday with remembrance, compared to 76% of Baby Boomers (ages 60 and above). Another (worse) poll found that only 48% of respondents knew that Memorial Day is holiday honoring military personnel who died in service to their country.

The moment of remembrance can broaden understanding of what this day is all about.

Today is not a day for ranting but rather for celebrating the sacrifices made by those who have died for our country. It is also a day to talk to our children about patriotic values of duty and sacrifice, and about the extraordinary country we are lucky to live it.
For all the hating from the Left*, there is good reason why millions of people each year try to come to the U.S. – mostly people who value freedom and opportunity, which the United States has always promised. Our country is great because we have traditionally celebrated and rewarded success, have helped the truly needy but otherwise encouraged people to make it on their own and allowed them the freedom to pursue their dreams. That is part of our nation’s social compact, and it must be preserved.

What also must be preserved: children being taught about our country in a positive and uplifting way. Far too few kids learn about U.S. heroism during World War II, about the war to emancipate the nation’s slaves, about the Great Experiment of Democracy born of the American Revolution.

It is increasingly on parents to teach those lessons, and to tell our kids what Memorial Day is all about. As summer holidays begin, it is a great idea to travel to Colonial Williamsburg and to Jamestown to explore our country’s beginnings, or visit the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania to learn about the Civil War. It’s fun to tour the Freedom Trail in Boston, Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home, or so many other sites. All these places have kid-friendly activities and are great outings: here’s a link to some American History field trips that are recommended to teachers: https://compassclassroom.com/blog/24-american-history-field-trip-sites/
With the teachers’ unions promoting non-stop a leftist agenda* that most certainly does not celebrate our country, parents must step up. Guess what: kids like learning, and especially with their families!

*oops- inadvertent rant!

For all the hating from the Left*, there is good reason why millions of people each year try to come to the U.S. – mostly people who value freedom and opportunity, which the United States has always promised. Our country is great because we have traditionally celebrated and rewarded success, have helped the truly needy but otherwise encouraged people to make it on their own and allowed them the freedom to pursue their dreams. That is part of our nation’s social compact, and it must be preserved.

What also must be preserved: children being taught about our country in a positive and uplifting way. Far too few kids learn about U.S. heroism during World War II, about the war to emancipate the nation’s slaves, about the Great Experiment of Democracy born of the American Revolution.


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