The tradition of honoring our country's fallen defenders began as a springtime custom following the Civil War. Originally called Decoration Day, it was a time to remember those fallen heroes.
To the list of those who died at Gettysburg and Bull Run, we have added names from San Juan Hill, Verdun, Corregidor, Inchon, Khe Sanh, Jalibah, the deserts and mountains of the Middle East and a thousand other places touched by war.
For most of the year, these souls lie in quiet repose, but on Memorial Day, we visit them again with our thanks for their great sacrifice.
It is not really a time for sadness. Rather, it should be an affirmation that these men and women did not lose their lives in vain.
This special day is a time to pay tribute to those who fell and to a country that plunged onward in pursuit of justice and democracy. We mourn our dead, but we rejoice in their memory and in the democracy they defended.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
