Special Edition: Memorial Scroll of Honor - Each Hero has His Own Story - Part 3

Each hero has his own story.  These are a few from the Memorial Scroll of Honor.

WORLD WAR II

When the US declared war on Germany, the entire senior class of 1917 volunteered en masse to President Woodrow Wilson to serve in the military.  The Trustees in turn honored their commitment to duty to their country by authorizing the faculty to "graduate ahead of time all members of the class that might be called into service and had a satisfactory student record." 

Read the story of the Class of 1917.
http://tigerprints.clemson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=history_pubs

Of the twenty-seven on the Scroll of Honor, twelve died of the Spanish influenza or pneumonia during the world wide epidemic of that period.  Private Robert Atkinson, a member of the Student Training Corps, died in Clemson.  Two died from poison gas.

Atkinson

Three infantrymen received the Distinguished Service Cross, this nation's second highest award, and two received Silver Stars.  Several served in the US Army Air Service, and one was in the Royal Air Force.  (Two alumni, who served but were not killed in WWI, received the Medal of Honor.)

Second Lieutenant Robert Bailey from Anderson attended Clemson in 1904 and dropped out after one or two semesters.  At age 32, he enlisted in the 118th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division, South Carolina National Guard.  He was promoted to Sergeant and assigned to border patrol along the Mexican border.  When the US became committed to WWI, he deployed with the Division to France and was in all of its engagements.  He received a Battle Field commission to Second Lieutenant and was killed 12 days later.  He received the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism.



McHugh

NICARAGUAN CAMPAIGN:

Lieutenant James McHugh, USMC, Class of 1923 from Clemson, was killed in a plane crash while he was piloting a recon mission.  He once flew escort for Charles Lindbergh down the Potomac.  Lindbergh later visited McHugh and his family in Nicaragua.

WORLD WAR II:

At least eight alumni were in the Bataan Death March.  Five of these are on the Scroll of Honor.  Four were killed aboard Japanese Hell Ships that were sunk by the US Navy.  These men were Martin Crook '39 of Spartanburg, Francis Scarborough '39 of Wisacky, Otis Morgan '37 of Wellford, and William English '37 of Columbia.  Henry Leitner '37 of Greenwood died of pneumonia imprisoned in Japan.  The following alumni survived the Death March: Ben Skardon (whose story was shared in my last blog post), Manny Lawton, and Albert George.

Two alumni were killed July 11, 1943 when the C-47 transports they were in were shot down.  They were a part of a 144 plane formation that lost 23 that were downed that day by friendly fire from US Navy units.  Captain Walter S. Nelson, Class of 1939 from Savannah, was a pilot and Major Tracy Jackson, Class of 1934 from Greenwood, was an observer in separate C-47s.  The returning aircraft had carried elements of the 82nd Airborne Division that had made their combat jump as a part of Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily.



Sloan

Captain Raymond Sloan, Class of 1939 from Marion, was the first Clemson alumni to die in WWII.  He ring was removed by a Japanese soldier and eventually pawned.  Years later, a Clemson graduate discovered the ring and redeemed the pawn.  It was returned to Clemson.



Crawford

PFC David Crawford, Jr., Class of 1945 from Winnsboro, enlisted during his sophomore year at Clemson and was assigned to 29th Infantry Division.  He was killed in action June 7, 1944 the day after his unit landed on Omaha Beach.  My grandmother told me of the time my grandparents invited all of the Winnsboro boys where my grandfather was stationed training recruits to a home cooked meal the night before they were deployed for what would become D-Day.  The next day, as the boys boarded the train, David told Grandmama that he couldn't wait to get back for more of her home cooked meals and her fried chicken.  Even though she didn't know the details of the mission, she knew in her heart that this would be the last time she would see him.  With her heart breaking, she mustered a huge smile and told him that she looked forward to that.  She gave him a big hug.  The train pulled off making that day the last time she saw him alive.

Of approximately 540 freshmen that enrolled in 1938, fifty-seven members of the Class of 1941 were killed in the war.  A remarkable incident occurred on le Shima island three miles west of Okinawa on April 19, 1945.  Two 1941 class members, Walter Bennett from Orangeburg and Marion Jenkins  from Yonges Island, were killed by the same Japanese mortar shell.  Bennett was the commander of H Company, 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Division, and Jenkins was H Company's executive officer.  Jenkins was killed instantly.  Bennett died the following day.

With respect to athletics, Aubrey Rion, Class of 1941 from Richland Country, quarterbacked the Tigers in the 1939 Cotton Bowl game against Boston College.  He was a lieutenant assigned to the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.  He was killed defending Bastogne, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge on December 20, 1944.

Lieutenant Colonel Aquilla Dyess, USMC, Class of1932 from Augusta, received the Medal of Honor for action in the Battle of Kwajalein on the Marshall Islands.  He is also the only American to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Carnegie Medal which he received for saving two swimmers off the coast of South Carolina the previous year.

Dyess

Five sets of brothers are on the Scroll of Honor.  David and Rufus Henry, Classes of '36 and '41, were from Clemson.  John and Benjamin McKnight, Classes of '40 and '41 from Kannapolis, North Carolina, were members of Clemson's Southern Conference Championship Swim Team.  Tourie and Dibble Rickenbaker, Classes of '43 and '44, were from Summerton.  Claude and Bob Lawson, Classes of '44 and '45, were from Birmingham, Alabama.  Edward and James Norton, Class of 1942, were twin brothers from Conway.  They were pilot and navigator in the same bomber shot down returning from a mission over Germany.

KOREAN WAR:

Seven of the seventeen serving in the Korean War on the Scroll received Silver Stars.



Moses

Herbert and Vivian Moses, Class of '44 from Sumter, were identical twins.  Their junior year they joined the Marine Corps and received commissioning training.  Both requested flight training.  After the war in 1947, Herb decided to leave the service to continue his education.  Viv wanted to make the Marine Corps a career.  On August 10, 1950, Captain Vivian Moses's Corsair fighter was shot down by ground fire, but he was rescued by helicopter.  The following day, while on a combat mission of strafing enemy positions, his aircraft received a direct hit by anti-aircraft fire and crash landed.  He was the first Marine pilot and first Clemson man killed in the Korean War.

Major Malcomb Edens, Class of 1947 from Miami, an Air Force pilot, was a POW of the North Koreans.  Bill Fuchess, '48, reported that a fellow POW told him that he had been with Malcomb Edens when he died.  He removed Edens's Clemson ring in hopes that he could return it to his family, but a communist soldier confiscated the ring.  It was probably lost forever.

Platt

Colonel Wesley Platt, USMC, Class of 1935 from Summerville, was killed in action in Korea.  During WWII, he was decorated for his part in the defense of Wake Island and was a POW of the Japanese for the duration of the war.

CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS:



Anderson

Major Rudolph "Rudy" Anderson, US Air Force, Class of 1949 from Greenville, was the only casualty of the crisis.  His U-2 spy plane was shot down over Cuba during a photo recon mission.

VIETNAM:

First Lieutenant Douglas MacArthur McCrary, 1st Division, from Greenville, received the Distinguished Service Cross (posthumously) for action on February 16, 1967.  His platoon came under intensive enemy fire.  An extract from the award citation reads: "Seeing one stricken man lying exposed across a dike, he tossed a smoke grenade to provide cover and then charged forward through a hail of insurgent bullets.  But as he started to pull the man to safety, the smoke dissipated and Lieutenant McCrary was mortally wounded."




Coats

Major William "Monkey" Coats, US Army, Class of 1957 from Chappells, was killed in a helicopter crash June 1, 1967.  He carried the nickname "Monkey" because he was such a cut up and was always having fun.  Colonel H. Lamar Hunt, Chaplain Retired wrote, "I lived across the street from Monkey when he was in advanced course of his branch at Fort Benning, Georgia.  It was my first assignment as a chaplain.  I wrote a song about him that I called 'The Ballad of Monkey Jones.'"

Colonel Albert Smarr, Class of 1950 from Hickory Grove, is the only honoree that served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.  He enlisted in the Army Air Force in World War II, a B-17 gunner and radio operator, and was shot down over Berlin and taken prisoner.  He was freed when the Russian Army liberated Berlin.  Following graduation and commissioning at Clemson, he served with the 89th Tank Batallion in Korea.  During his second tour to Vietnam, he was killed in February 1972 in a helicopter crash.  In December 1972, a building a Fort Monmouth, New Jersey where he had served as a Signal School instructor was named in his honor.



Pace

Lieutenant Jesse Rutledge Baker, USMC, Class of 1965 from Whitmire, was assigned to the 7th Engineer Battalion, 1st Marines, near Da Nang.  He wore a white shirt all the time to indicate he was an officer and to draw fire so his Battalion machine gunners could spot the muzzle flashes.  His men claim he had some close calls but was never hit.  He was killed in August 1967 when his jeep hit a mine. 

First Lieutenant Gary Pace, Army Engineer Corps, Class of 1969 from Easley, was killed in ground action in Vietnam in March 1971.  He received the Silver Star for his action in attempting to repel an assault by enemy sappers at a Fire Support Base near the Cambodian border.  After his death, a new Fire Support Based was named FSB Pace in his honor.

IRAQ:

Zabierek

Lance Corporal Andrew  
Zabierek, USMC, from Chelmsford, Massachusetts, graduated from Clemson in 2000 with a degree in Business.  The September 11 attack on the Word Trade Center troubled him greatly, and he wanted to serve his country.  He could have been an officer but volunteered to be an enlisted man.  He died May 21, 2004 due to hostile action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.

I want to personally thank The Clemson Corps for never letting these fallen heroes down because two of the 489 names on the Memorial Scroll of Honor are from my family.  One is my great-uncle, the brother of my maternal grandfather who was also a Clemson graduate and Major during WWII.  The second name which had a profound effect on my life was that of my father, Harold McGill "Mac" Renwick, Jr.
   

 

 

Special Edition: Symbolism of the Memorial Scroll of Honor and the Sacrifice Represented by the Scroll of Honor- Part 2

         

  

The following are the words of Barry Anderson, Clemson University Landscape Architect and one of the designers of the Memorial from August 18, 2010.  “The Scroll of Honor Memorial successfully tells an important part of the Clemson story and has quickly become a significant destination of interest for all who visit the campus.  Even in its earliest stages of design, the memorial was conceived as a place people of all ages could go to gain an understanding of the sacrifice that was common among a special group of Clemson's alumni. Given the diverse background of those in the Clemson family, it has been important that the memorial speak to a variety of audiences.  No matter your age or background, the memorial is intended to speak at many levels so that all visitors leave the place having gained something by being there.  

Equally important is the notion that the memorial embodies a clear and simple expression of the character and attributes held among Clemson's fallen.  During the memorial's design, this expression would become the circular form symbolizing unity within this select group of people and more broadly represents the devotion that ultimately all within the Clemson family should share.  The softness of basic and unrefined stone elements was employed within the memorial to celebrate the uniqueness of the individuals while the assembly of the pieces around a mound or barrow celebrates their common bond.  The unassuming character of the memorial with its earthen mound, colonnade of elms, sitting boulders and gravel path is contrasted against the refined, clean surfaces and edges of the adjacent entry plaza.  This contrast of material imbues a sense of timelessness.  This is important since we not only recognize the attributes of these people in our past, but also recognize and demand of ourselves a continued commitment to carry forward the ideals demonstrated through such selfless acts.”

Additional symbolism in the design of the Scroll includes the following.  The overall design is simple, yet dignified – like an outdoor chapel.  The mound is circular in design to represent that duty, honor, and country are values that transcend time.  The legacy of these heroes will never end, just as Roy Pearce wrote in 1944: “we’ll never let them down, never!”

The names are engraved in the stones in random fashion, just as the men fell on the battlefield.  There is no pattern to death in war.

           The stones are mounted in the barrow at an angle so that visitors must bow their heads to read the names on the stones – as if in reverence to the memory of the heroes.

The trees are all slanted toward the barrow as if bowing to pay homage to the sacrifices of the honorees. 

 

The area above the barrow is clear so that visitors can look up toward heaven as if to pay respect to the honorees.

The inscription on the base of the National Colors Monument – “Freedom is not Free” – tells the story of the sacrifice made by all these great men.

The bronze Tigers at the entrance of the Scroll represent a perpetual honor guard to ensure the sanctity of the Memorial.  They appear to be engaged in a conversation about their responsibility.

The Sacrifice Represented by the Scroll of Honor

Beginning with the first graduating class of 1896, Clemson alumni have 119 years of history of service to their country. They have served in the fields of science, medicine, education, industry, agriculture, government, religion, and many others.  In addition, thousands of alumni have served in the armed forces.

As a land grant institution established under the Morrill Act, Clemson was required to teach its students military science.  For 66 years, Clemson was a military college.  Then, from 1955 – 1970, freshmen and sophomores were required to participate in ROTC.  Today, Clemson still has almost 300 students who participate in Military Science courses on a voluntary basis.

Clemson Alumni have been highly decorated for their service and sacrifices.  Some received the nation’s highest military honor – the Medal of Honor – for acts of heroism in combat.  Several were captured and held for periods of up to 6 years as prisoners of war, suffering extreme torture and isolation – like Colonel Ben Skardon.  See the video and read the story by following the links below.

Bataan Death March and the Ring Story of Ben Skardon

Ben Skardon Completes Memorial Walk of Bataan Death March

But the group who should receive the greatest honor of all consists of those 489 alumni who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.  They died while performing their military duties during combat operations, training, and deployments.   The numbers by war or engagements are as follows: 32 in WW I, 1 in the Nicaragua Campaign, 376 in WW II, 19 in Korea, 1 in the Cuban Missile Crisis, 30 in Viet Nam, 27 in the Cold War, and 3 in the War on Terrorism.  Unfortunately, additional research may prove more names will be added in the near future.

These 489 alumni represent the diversity of the Clemson family.  Their majors included agronomy, animal husbandry, architecture, economics, engineering, finance, forestry, horticulture, industrial management, parks and recreation, pre-med, textiles, vocational agriculture education, and many more. 

They were ordinary and exceptional students.   A 1916 alumnus killed in WW I was described as “the strongest man on the football team.”  Another was called “the most popular man in the Class of 1935.” One was a 4-star athlete in football, basketball, baseball, and track.  Others were members of the swimming team, wrestling team, boxing team, and the soccer team before it was a scholarship sport. Others were cheerleaders and members of the band.  Several were Eagle Scouts.  One was a member of the Rifle Team that won the ACC championship.  As you would expect, many were members of various student military organizations such as the Senior Platoon, Pershing Rifles, Scabbard and Blade and the Arnold Air Society.  Many left Clemson before graduating to join the military to fight the world wars as they felt it was their duty.  Some returned to Clemson to finish their education; many did not.  As part of the project of gathering information about each of these fallen soldiers, The Clemson Corps has many, many letters and emails sent in by family members and friends to document their sacrifices.  One of those letters speaks volumes.

            Mrs. Emily McCoy Adams from Bostic, NC, recounts the story of her cousin, William T. McCoy who was killed in WW II.  She added a postscript that reads, “My husband, James A. Adams, was in the U.S. Navy for 20 years 1940-1960, but thank The Good Lord he did not have to give the ultimate sacrifice.”

However, 489 and counting of Clemson’s alumni did.  They are buried in the church cemeteries, the Arlington National Cemetery, in military cemeteries in Hawaii, France, Germany, Italy, and the Philippines.  Some were buried at sea.  Some will never come home as they are still missing in action across Europe, Asia, and the Pacific.  It is my wish that the 70 bodies that have been recently  recovered from the Battle of Tawanara are some of Clemson’s missing.  Read the article about the recovery.

Bodies of WWII marines recovered from Battle of Tawanara

In the April 7, 1944, edition of The Tiger, then student Roy Pearce wrote, “It made me sad to read the honor roll…All were great men and we’ll never let them down, never!”  In 2003 The Clemson Corps established the Scroll of Honor to recognize in perpetuity the sacrifices of these Clemson heroes.  During this Cub process [the Freshman year at Clemson while it was a military school which would be the equivalent of the Knob year at The Citadel], you have no doubt been challenged.  You have experienced anxiety, doubt, frustration, and fatigue – and you will continue to do so.  But when you are at your lowest, I challenge you to remember the sacrifices of these Clemson brothers.  Anything that you will experience will pale in comparison to their sacrifices.  Tigers, we depend upon you to Keep the Tradition of Service to Clemson Alive!

In 2003 The Clemson Corps established the Scroll of Honor to recognize in perpetuity the sacrifices of these Clemson heroes.   Each of these heroes has his own story.  Next, I will share a few of those stories.

Special Edition - Memorial Scroll of Honor Part 1

        

One of my blog posts in 2013 contained a reference to the Memorial Scroll of Honor on the campus of Clemson University.  I know, however, that unless you have visited the Scroll in person you did not truly have an understanding to what I was referring.  The next several posts on my blog are related to the Memorial Scroll of Honor.  For those of you who are new to my blog, this memorial is very special to me.  All who are willing to read this post and the upcoming ones will learn of its story, its importance to me, and the privilege I have in being connected to it.  This will also serve as a preface of something special to come to the SCDAR in the very near future!

For those of you who know me well, you know I am a huge Clemson fan and you may be thinking that these blog posts are simply about promoting Clemson.  I assure you that it is not the case.  The DAR is all about patriotism and part of that is our work with the veterans.  This is simply the story of how one university with a rich military history recognized its alumni who paid the ultimate sacrifice.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if these blog posts inspired other colleges and universities that haven’t done so to this point to memorialize their alumni who perished in the line of duty to their country!  Who knows, with the DAR members all over the country that follow my blog that are as die hard a fan for their respective schools as I am for Clemson, colleges and universities that do not have a memorial may soon have one!

With that being said, this story begins with the formation of The Clemson Corps.  I want to thank The Clemson Corps for providing me with the information which I have edited and added to for the next two blog posts.

History of The Clemson Corps

            After the Vietnam War, interest in ROTC began to decline throughout the United States, and it was no different at Clemson.  Participation in ROTC for freshmen and sophomores became voluntary in 1969 as Clemson was no longer a military school.  As a result, enrollment in ROTC continued to decline.  In 1998, Clemson commissioned only 8 Army and 8 Air Force Lieutenants - a total of only 16.  That year the U. S. Army notified Clemson that its program was in jeopardy of being placed on probation if it did not improve its enrollment of cadets and its rate of commissioning Lieutenants.  This shook the foundation of this former military school.

            Then President Deno Curris asked Retired Army Lieutenant General Gene Blackwell, an alumnus of Clemson, to form a panel to address this serious situation and to make recommendations as to what should be done to reverse this negative trend.

General Blackwell formed a team of interested professionals who were great visionaries.  The result of this team’s efforts was the formation of The Clemson Corps in 1999, a constituency group of the Alumni Association whose mission is two-fold.  First, the Clemson Corps raises money in the form of Alumni contributions to fund Clemson Corps scholarships.  These scholarships help the ROTC cadre to recruit outstanding young men and women into ROTC.  With the outstanding leadership of the ROTC departments, the commissioning rate has increased to approximately 50 cadets per year. For those of you who are not familiar with Clemson, Clemson is one of the smaller schools in the ACC; therefore, this commissioning rate is strong.  Both the Army and Air Force ROTC departments now meet and often exceed their assigned mission for commissionees.  The Clemson Corps also supports the ROTC departments in many other ways, such as honors and award ceremonies, Pass-in-Reviews, mentoring programs, and guest speakers.

            The second mission of the Clemson Corps is to help perpetuate Clemson’s rich

military heritage.  The major initiative in this regard is Military Appreciation Day, a total Clemson effort at one of Clemson’s home football games.  This day is special and continues to grow and improve each year.  In trying to tell about the day, I will leave something out; therefore, I will highlight a few.  The Scroll of Honor is guarded 24 hours by the Army ROTC.  Bowman Field has a display of military equipment.  The traditional walk down the hill to the stadium prior to the game begins with a riderless horse, the Upstate Pipe Band, the Clemson cadre, and all veterans.  If you are watching the game on television, you will notice that the stadium is not solid orange but purple instead.  It is called the “Purple Out.”  The team wears purple uniforms, the coaches wear purple and camouflage, and the fans wear purple all in honor of those who have received the Purple Heart in service to their country.  During the game, recognition of some of the many alumni who have given service in the Armed Forces are presented throughout the game.  I must say that this is the only time where fans do not mind the television timeouts.  The halftime ceremony includes the presentation of the families of South Carolinians that lost their lives in the line of duty during that year, the Battle Field Cross,

a tribute to all veterans with the Salute to the Services, and this past year a video about the Scroll of Honor that left more than 82,000 fans silent at its conclusion.  After a decade of increasing emphasis at football games, Clemson now celebrates Military Appreciation Days during basketball and baseball games, and I understand that soccer will be added this year.   I do know that John Sekata attended an ACC meeting and shared what Clemson was doing to honor the military in the hopes of inspiring other schools to have a Military Appreciation Day; however, I do not believe that any school has embraced this yearly day across the sports to thank veterans like Clemson.

Scroll of Honor

Another major initiative of The Clemson Corps is the Scroll of Honor.  In 2002, as plans were being made for the fall Military Appreciation Day, John Seketa, the Athletic Department representative, suggested that Clemson somehow identify those Clemson Alumni who had died in service to their country.  I had the opportunity to ask John what made him think about this.  His answer was direct.  “What is the name of the stadium?” 

I answered Memorial Stadium [for those who had paid the ultimate sacrifice].  He then asked me, “Where was the memorial for those fallen?”  I thought about it.  I have been going to Clemson football games since I was a baby and have watched the stands grow and expand.   Granddaddy had never shown me a memorial at the stadium.  The only mention is on the sign for the stadium.  John told me that where he was from the football stadium had such a recognition.  The simple question, “Where is the memorial?” is what started the ball rolling on the creation of the Scroll of Honor. 

Dawson Luke and Danny Rhodes, who were at that time Co-Chairmen of  The Clemson Corps’ Operations Committee, agreed that this would be a critical aspect of perpetuating Clemson’s strong military heritage.  They began to collect names of those alumni who had given the ultimate sacrifice, that is, they died while performing their military duties.   The Scroll of Honor was created to recognize these heroes, and it was unveiled at Military Appreciation Day in 2003 (Maryland game).  The original Scroll of Honor was in a portable frame that was moved from place to place on the campus.  Then, The Corps realized that a temporary, portable scroll was not befitting the sacrifice that these great alumni had made; therefore, in 2005, that group of men began to consider a permanent memorial on campus that would bring appropriate honor to these heroes.

In their research, they found in the archives of Strom Thurmond Institute the document from 1942 that certified that the new football stadium would be named Memorial Stadium to honor Clemson’s alumni who “have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of their country.”  Needless to say, wouldn’t I love to see that document!  This drew The Corps to the area of the stadium for a site for the memorial.  In 2006, The Corps obtained the wholehearted approval of the Athletic Department to use the site which stands on an axis that extends straight from the West Zone, through Howard’s Rock to Tillman Hall in spite of the fact that the Athletic Department would have to reassign parking for certain benefactors

as well as others.  In March 2007, the Scroll of Honor Memorial was proposed to the University Administrative Council and received their 100% approval to proceed.  I will have to interject that then President James Barker was whole heartedly behind this project.  I had the opportunity to speak with him about his support and he told me that he wouldn’t have had it any other way it was that important. He was even quoted as saying, “No other project on campus better represents what Clemson is all about than the Scroll of Honor Memorial.”

With the help of thousands of alumni and friends of Clemson, this memorial became a reality.  Ground breaking was held in August 2008, and construction began in April 2009 with the dedication of the Memorial in April 2010.

In the next blog post, you will learn about the Scroll of Honor’s symbology and sacrifice represented by it.

 

 

 

Special Edition: Happy Memorial Day!

As our country prepares for the unofficial start to summer on Monday, we must be ever vigilant to remind our fellow countrymen just for what this day stands.  It is to pay tribute to those men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.  This sacrifice helped to ensure the freedom that we love but too often take for granted.  Not only do we take these freedoms for granted, but we also take for granted our servicemen who died safeguarding our freedoms as evidenced by Memorial Day being referred to as the unofficial start of summer. 

 
Evidence of taking our servicemen for granted can be seen by the article about exhuming the bodies of 388 Americans sailors and marines from the USS Oklahoma who could never be identified that were killed in the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in an unprecedented bid to identify troops using DNA testing.  This article came out in April.  Did you hear about it on any of our news programs?  I didn’t.  I have included the link here for you to view in case you didn’t see my post on my personal Facebook page, the Chapter Regent’s Club Facebook page, and the SCDAR Facebook page.

http://news.yahoo.com/us-exhume-remains-pearl-harbor-attack-215209353.html

Did you know that Memorial Day began as Decoration Day and had its beginnings as early as 1866?  I went to the Dept. of Veteran Affairs website, and copied/pasted the history for you to read to learn how Memorial Day got started.

Memorial Day History

Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers.  Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30.  It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.

The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.  The ceremonies centered around the mourning-draped veranda of the Arlington mansion, once the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee.  Various Washington officials, including Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, presided over the ceremonies.   After speeches, children from the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their way through the cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns.

Local Observances Claim To Be First    Local springtime tributes to the Civil War dead already had been held in various places.  One of the first occurred in Columbus, MS, April 25, 1866, when a group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle at Shiloh.  Nearby were the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because they were the enemy.  Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well.

Today, cities in the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866.  Both Macon and Columbus, GA claim the title as well as Richmond, Va.  The village of Boalsburg, PA claims it began there two years earlier.  A stone in a Carbondale, IL cemetery carries the statement that the first Decoration Day ceremony took place there on April 29, 1866.  Carbondale was the wartime home of Gen. Logan. Approximately 25 places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, many of them in the South where most of the war dead were buried.

Official Birthplace Declared   In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., the “birthplace” of Memorial Day.  There, a ceremony on May 5, 1866, honored local veterans who had fought in the Civil War.  Businesses closed and residents flew flags at half-staff.  Supporters of Waterloo’s claim say earlier observances in other places were either informal, not community-wide or one-time events.

By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation.  State legislatures passed proclamations designating the day, and the Army and Navy adopted regulations for proper observance at their facilities.

It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars.  In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day.  It was then also placed on the last Monday in May, as were some other federal holidays.

Just what did Decoration Day mean  Gen. Logan’s order for his posts to decorate graves in 1868 “with the choicest flowers of springtime” urged: “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. ... Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners.  Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”

The crowd attending the first Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery was approximately the same size as those that attend today’s observance, about 5,000 people.  Then, as now, small American flags were placed on each grave — a tradition followed at many national cemeteries today.  In recent years, the custom has grown in many families to decorate the graves of all departed loved ones.

The origins of special services to honor those who die in war can be found in antiquity. The Athenian leader Pericles offered a tribute to the fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian War over 24 centuries ago that could be applied today to the 1.1 million Americans who have died in the nation’s wars: “Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men.”

To ensure the sacrifices of America ’s fallen heroes are never forgotten, in December 2000, the U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579, creating the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. The commission’s charter is to “encourage the people of the United States to give something back to their country, which provides them so much freedom and opportunity” by encouraging and coordinating commemorations in the United States of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance.

The National Moment of Remembrance 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. As Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella LaSpada states: “It’s a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day.”

SPECIAL SERVICE for MEMORIAL DAY

For those of you who live near Clemson, SC, I also want to share information about a service on Sunday afternoon honoring Memorial Day at the Memorial Scroll of Honor on the campus of Clemson University on Sunday afternoon at 4:00.   In addition to a wonderful program for Memorial Day, four more names from World War 1 will be added to the scroll.  In the near future, I will do a blog about the Memorial Scroll of Honor.  Even though it is not a DAR project, it is very personal to me, and as a result, I will be posting information about it on my personal Facebook page.  Facebook will not allow me to do a full description; therefore, I will put that information on the blog and the other information on Facebook.

Here is the link to the information about the special day.  This will take a moment to load.

https://cualumni.clemson.edu/document.doc?id=6658

If the links don't work, use control shift L or copy and paste the URL in your search engine.

New Additions Are Coming To the Blog

I am excited to let you know that you are going to be seeing some new aspects on the blog that I will be integrating in the coming months.  As many of you know, I have been spending all of my time digitizing the SCDAR Yearbooks/Annual Proceedings for what seems like forever.  Well, except for ensuring that each page scanned correctly one last time, I am finished! 

Following our state conference, I took some much needed time away from scanning and started thinking about the things I had neglected in order to finish the scanning.  One of those was the blog.   All of a sudden, or should I say, thoughts from Divine intervention came flooding about what else I should include as a way to document SCDAR history.  I began making contacts and sharing what I wanted.

Since then, I have been busy working to bring this to fruition.  I hope that you will enjoy these additions.  I will also be posting trinkets of information on the Reflections of Our Treasured Past Facebook page and Twitter. 

 

Be sure to update to the new blog address so you won’t miss a thing and join me at the following:

http:// scdarreflections.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reflections-of-Our-Treasured-Past

https://twitter.com/SCDARArchives

 

The next blog post will actually be tomorrow.  It will focus on Memorial Day.  Hopefully, after reading the new blog post, you will have learned something that you didn’t know.

 

Penny