Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 24, 2014

Mountain View News Saturday, May 24, 2014 3 Mountain View News Saturday, May 24, 2014 3 
THE HISTORY OF MEMORIAL DAY 

Three years after the Civil War ended, on May April 26. North and South Carolina observe it 
5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union on May 10, Lou-isiana on June 3 and Tennessee 
veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic calls that date Confederate Decoration Day. Tex(
GAR) — established Deco-ration Day as a as celebrates Confederate Heroes Day January 
time for the nation to decorate the graves of 19 and Virginia calls the last Mon-day in May 
the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Confederate Memorial Day. 
Logan declared that Decoration Day should be 

Gen. Logan’s order for his posts to decorate 

observed on May 30. It is believed that date was 

graves in 1868 “with the choicest flowers of 

chosen because flowers would be in bloom all 

springtime” urged: “We should guard their 

over the country. 

graves with sacred vigilance. ... Let pleasant 
The first large observance was held that year paths invite the coming and going of reverent 
at Arlington National Cemetery, across the visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no 
Potomac River from Washington, D.C. ravages of time, testify to the present or to the 

com-ing generations that we have forgotten as a 

The ceremonies centered around the mourning-

people the cost of a free and undivided republic.” 

draped veranda of the Arlington mansion, 
once the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Various The crowd attending the first Memorial Day 
Washington officials, in-cluding Gen. and Mrs. ceremony at Arlington National Ceme-tery 
Ulysses S. Grant, presided over the ceremonies. was approximately the same size as those that 
After speeches, children from the Soldiers’ and attend today’s observance, about 5,000 people. 
Sailors’ Orphan Home and members of the GAR Then, as now, small American flags were placed 
made their way through the cemetery, strewing on each grave — a tradition followed at many 
flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, national cemeteries today. In recent years, the 
reciting prayers and singing hymns. custom has grown in many families to decorate 

the graves of all departed loved ones. 

Local Observances Claim To Be First Local 
springtime tributes to the Civil War dead The origins of special services to honor those 
already had been held in various places. One of who die in war can be found in an-tiquity. The 
the first occurred in Colum-bus, Miss., April 25, Athenian leader Pericles offered a tribute to the 
1866, when a group of women visited a cemetery fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian War over 
to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers 24 centuries ago that could be applied today 
who had fallen in battle at Shiloh. Nearby were to the 1.1 million Americans who have died in 
the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because the nation’s wars: “Not only are they commemthey 
were the enemy. Disturbed at the sight of orated by columns and inscriptions, but there 
the bare graves, the women placed some of their dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, 
flowers on those graves, as well. graven not on stone but in the hearts of men.” 

Today, cities in the North and the South claim To ensure the sacrifices of America ’s fallen 
to be the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866. heroes are never forgotten, in De-cember 2000, 
Both Macon and Columbus, Ga., claim the the U.S. Congress passed and the president 
title, as well as Richmond, Va. The village of signed into law “The National Moment of 
Boalsburg, Pa., claims it began there two years Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579, creating the 
earlier. A stone in a Carbondale, Ill., cemetery White House Commission on the National 
carries the statement that the first Decoration Moment of Remembrance. The commission’s 
Day cer-emony took place there on April 29, charter is to “encourage the people of the United 
1866. Carbondale was the wartime home of States to give something back to their country, 
Gen. Logan. Approximately 25 places have which provides them so much freedom and 
been named in connection with the origin of opportunity” by encouraging and coordinating 
Memorial Day, many of them in the South commemorations in the United States of 
where most of the war dead were buried. Memorial Day and the National Moment of 

Remembrance. 

Official Birthplace Declared In 1966, Congress 
and President Lyndon Johnson declared The National Moment of Remembrance 
Waterloo, N.Y., the “birthplace” of Memorial encourages all Americans to pause wher-ever 
Day. There, a ceremony on May 5, 1866, honored they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day 
local veterans who had fought in the Civil War. for a minute of silence to re-member and honor 
Businesses closed and residents flew flags at those who have died in service to the nation. As 
half-staff. Supporters of Waterloo’s claim say Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella 
earlier observances in other places were either LaSpada states: “It’s a way we can all help put 
informal, not community-wide or one-time the memorial back in Memorial Day.” 
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 
fa-cilities. 

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 feder-al holidays. 

Some States Have 
Confederate Observances 
Many Southern states also 
have their own days for 
honoring the Confederate 
dead. Mississippi 
celebrates Confed-erate 
Memorial Day on the last 
Monday of April, Alabama 
on the fourth Mondayof April, and Georgia on 


Veterans of Foreign Wars 
Post 3208 


Invites the Public To 

MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONIES 


At 
Sierra Madre Pioneer Cemetery
Monday May 28, 2012
11 a.m. 


Come early and hear popular patriotic songs 
from the World War II era. Congresswoman 
Judy Chiu and Former Mayor Mary Ann 
MacGillivray will speak.

 Post Commander Dave Loera will be 
officiating. Msgr. Richard Krekelberg of St. 
Rita Parish will give the invocation, cantor 
Peter Vecchio, bugler Paul Puccinelli will 
be other participants as well as members of 
VFW Post 3208. 

A complementary sandwich lunch will be 
served to attendees immediately following 
the ceremony. 

Get there early to get a seat! 

JUST BEFORE MEMORIAL DAY, HOUSE PASSES REP. 
SCHIFF AMENDMENT URGING SECRE-TARY HAGEL 
TO PUT NAMES OF “LOST 74” ON VIETNAM WALL 

74 Sailors on U.S.S. Frank E. Evans Died in Service in South China Sea During 
the Vietnam War Amendment Was Attached to Defense Authorization 
Legislation, Adopted Unanimously 

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Adam Schiffto find their son, Thomas Belue Box was not on 
(D-Burbank) announced that on the eve of the Wall. Forty-five years later his name and the 
Memorial Day, the House of Representatives names of the other 73 lost are still not recognized 
has passed an amendment to the annual defense for the greatest sacrifice one can give, their lives. 
authorization bill urg-ing Department of Defense Eunice Sage once told me all she ever wanted was 
Secretary Chuck Hagel to add the names of 74 ‘Her Boys’ to be added to the Vietnam Memorial 
sailors lost on the U.S.S. Frank E. Evans during Wall – she died never seeing that come true.” 
the Vietnam War to the Vietnam Wall. Eunice Sage lost three sons, Gary, Greg, and 

Kelly Jo on USS Frank E. Evans.

 On June 3, 1969, the USS Frank E. Evans was 
cut in half by an Australian aircraft carrier in the William “Randy” Slaughter, a constituent of 
South Chi-na Sea – 74 American sailors lost their Schiff’s in Glendale, stated: “I served on the 
lives. The USS Frank E. Evans was participating aircraft car-rier U.S.S. Kearsarge at the time of 
in a joint South-east Asia Treaty Organization the incident and the Evans was one of our escort 
(SEATO) exercise called "Sea Spirit" in the ships and we were close by when the accident 
South China Sea with more than 40 ships of happened. The cause for the fallen 74 has been 
SEATO nations, at the time of the collision close to my heart since that morning when 
with HMAS Melbourne. Despite operating the sun came up and I looked down from the 
in Vietnamese waters immediately before Kearsarge flight deck at what I used to know as 
deployment to Exercise Sea Spirit, and being a proud American Navy destroyer. It's time to 
scheduled to return to activities supporting the right a major wrong and get the names of the 74 
war effort after the exercise, it was determined on The Wall before any more of their families 
that since Exercise Sea Spirit took place outside and the survivors and their families aren't with 
the geographical limit for the combat zone the us anymore to witness it. We owe it to them.”
crew was ineligible for in-clusion on the Vietnam 

 Rep. Schiff has continued to keep close contact 

Veterans Memorial. 

with the USS Frank E. Evans Association and 

 While the U.S.S. Frank E. Evans was not in has once again sought to right this injustice. This 
the combat zone as defined by Executive Order summer, Schiff wrote to Secretary of Defense 
11216, the ship was supporting the ongoing Hagel to ask for a meeting so that he can make 
military conflict in Vietnam and the crew was the case personally that the names of the Lost 
instrumental in advanc-ing American military 74 sailors of the USS Frank E. Evans be added 
objectives in Vietnam. Not to mention, the crew to the memorial – Hagel is a Vietnam veteran, 
had participated in conflict just days before the himself – and Schiff has now met with Hagel, 
collision. Vietnam veterans have long argued and is continuing to follow up. Schiff also wrote 
that inclusion on the monument should not to Secretary Panetta.
be determined by geographic location, and 

 Schiff’s amendment to the defense authorization 

exceptions to this rule have previously been 

bill reads:

made for service members killed as part of the 
conflict but not in Vietnam itself. For example, Whereas the Congress notes the continued 
those involved in operations in Laos (Laos was popularity and importance of the Vietnam 
later included in the combat zone) and those Veter-ans Memorial as a place of reflection and 
dying in transit to or from Vietnam have been healing for a generation; 
made are eligible for the memorial. 

Whereas the simple inscriptions of the names 

Since first being approached several years ago of the Nation’s dead bear mute testimony to 
by a family of a sailor lost on the ship, Rep. the sacrifice of more than 58,000 Americans, 
Schiff has been pushing the Administration and serving as a deep source of comfort and pride for 
successive Defense Secretaries to rectify this the families of those who were lost; 
situation. After meeting with Rep. Schiff in Nov. 

Whereas, 74 sailors were lost aboard the USS 

2010, Secretary of the Navy Mabus expressed his 

Frank E. Evans, which sank after colliding with 

support for adding the 74 sailors to the Vietnam 

the HMAS Melbourne on June 3, 1969 during a 

Veterans Memorial. 

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization exercise just 
After the vote in the House, Schiff stated: outside the designated combat zone; 
“Hopefully today’s vote puts us one step closer 

Whereas the Frank Evans had been providing 

to the reali-ty of seeing the names of the Lost 

support fire for combat operations in Vietnam 

74 of the U.S.S. Frank E. Evans on the Vietnam 

before the exercise that resulted in the accident 

Wall. They died serv-ing our country during 

and was scheduled to return after the exer-cise; 

the Vietnam War and there is no reason for to 
deny these sailors their rightful place on the Whereas the families of the 74 men lost aboard 
memorial.”

the USS Frank E. Evans have been fighting for 
decades to have their loved ones added to the 

 The U.S.S. Frank E. Evans Association praised 

Memorial; 

the amendment and urged the Secretary to act 
quickly. 

Whereas exceptions have been granted to 
inscribe the names on the Vietnam Veterans 

 “The tragic loss of the USS Frank E Evans on 

Me-morial for other servicemembers who were 

3 June, 1969, continues to haunt the families 

killed outside of the designated combat zone, in-

and ship-mates of the 74 lost sailors who gave 

cluding in 1983 when President Ronald Reagan 

their lives for their country,” said Tim Wendler, 

ordered that 68 Marines who died on a flight 

President of the Association. “I lost my father 

outside the combat zone be added to the wall; 

days before my second birthday, and my mom, 
became a much too young 21 year-old widow. 

Whereas Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, in 
This haunting continues because we, as a nation, a letter dated December 15, 2010, expressed 
have failed to adequately address an issue 

support for the addition of the 74 names to the 
which could, once and for all, provide closure 

Vietnam Veterans Memorial; 
to the families, shipmates and survivors of this 

Whereas heroism and sacrifice should never go 

tragedy. We deeply appreciate the action of the 

unrecognized because of an arbitrary line on a 

House today, led by Congressman Adam Schiff, 

map; 

to remember our Lost 74 Heroes and begin the 

Now be it therefore resolved that it is the sense 

healing process.”

of Congress that the Secretary of Defense should 

 The Vice President of the Association, Steve 

order that the names of the 74 military personnel 

Kraus, stated: “I can’t think how awful it must 

lost aboard the USS Frank E. Evans on June 3, 

have felt in 1985 when the Box Family traveled to 

1969 be added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial 

visit the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. 

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