Memorial Day Tribute – Time Line – Honoring Daniel Inouye

The Time Line

1865 - At the end of the Civil War, the practice of a day set aside as a memorial  to those who had soldiers who had fallen. Originally called Decoration Day, the first Memorial Day was observed May 1, 1865.

1866 – Memorial Day, originally Decoration Day was enacted to honor the fallen Union Soldiers of the American Civil War. An early observance in the North U.S. was in Waterloo, NY on May 5, 1866.

1868 - The friendship between General John Murray, a distinguished citizen of Waterloo, New York, and General John A. Logan, who helped bring attention to the event nationwide, was likely a factor in the holiday’s growth. On May 5, 1868, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic – the organization for Northern Civil War veterans – Logan issued a proclamation that “Decoration Day” should be observed nationwide. It was observed for the first time nationally on May 30 of the same year; the date was chosen because it was not the anniversary of a battle.

1882 – May 29, 1882, the New York Times published an article “In Memory Of The Dead – How decoration day will be observed in New York”

“…The suspension of business downtown will be quite general. The day being a legal holiday, the banks, Exchanges, and public offices will be closed, and it is understood that the employees of all mercantile houses will be given a holiday.  The Programme for the public observances of Decoration Day in this City is an elaborate and interesting one, embracing memorial services on Union-square in the morning, an imposing parade, the usual decorations of soldiers’ graves in the different cemeteries, and evening exercies at the Academy of Music.”

1918 - President Woodrow Wilson asked U.S. citizens to observe this day to decorate the graves of Civil War soldiers. Following World War I, “Decoration Day” honored all American war dead. In some areas of the country where peonies grow, peonies became known as Decoration Day flowers because they bloomed on or shortly before the war dead remembrance day. The perennial peony plants were favored for decorating and planting on graves because of their bloom size and the fact that they bloomed every year in late May continuously until early summer. In 1967, Decoration Day became Memorial Day.

1968 - On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) advocate returning to the original date, although the significance of the date is tenuous. The VFW stated in a 2002 Memorial Day Address:

“Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the general public’s nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.”

After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted Congress’s change of date within a few years. Memorial Day endures as a holiday which most businesses observe because it marks the unofficial beginning of summer.

1971 – 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. The National “Moment of Remembrance” encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 pm local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the United States of America.

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This year we honor Senator Daniel Inouye for his efforts, on behalf of all United States Veterans.

Since 1987, Hawaii’s Senator Daniel Inouye, a World War II veteran, has repeatedly introduced measures to return Memorial Day to its traditional date.

United States Army First Lieutenant Daniel K. Inouye was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War II.

Please join us in a “Hats Off” salute to Senator Inouye.

From his official website:

1980. Received Certificate of Flag presentation, USS Arizona

1987. Received Veterans of Foreign Wars Congressional Award, Veterans of Foreign Wars

1999. Presented the Spirit of Hope award, the highest honor given by the United Service Organizations, or USO, for epitomizing honor, courage and selfless service

2001. Received Tireless Leadership Award on issues Critical to the Security of the Nation and for Extraordinary Contributions to the Well Being of the Men and Women of the U.S. Armed Forces, Department of Defense

2003. Presented the Sonny Montgomery Award from the National Guard Bureau for exceptional support of the nation’s defense

2003. Honored for combat heroism and for public service and statesmanship during the 60th anniversary reunion of the legendary 442nd Regimental Combat Team

2005. Received the American Patriot Award for his work in ensuring the security of the United States, from the National Defense University Foundation

2004. Received Outstanding Legislator of the Year Award, Association of the U.S. Army Outstanding Legislator of the Year Award

2005. Received the Lifetime Achievement Award for advancement of aerospace, from the Air Force Association

2006. Presented the Naval Heritage Award for significant support of U.S. sea services, from the United States Navy Memorial Foundation

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The Honorable Senator Inouye has been a senator since 1963. He is also the second longest serving U.S. Senator in history after Robert Byrd.

Senator Inouye has continuously represented Hawaii in the U.S. Congress since it achieved statehood in 1959, serving as Hawaii’s first U.S. Representative and later a senator. He was the first Japanese-American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and later the first in the U.S. Senate. At age 86, Inouye is the second-oldest current senator, after 87 year old Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey.

If Senator Inouye serves until June 29, 2014, he will become the longest serving Senator in history. He has already announced that he plans to run for a record tenth term in 2016, when he will be 92 years old.

We’ll be happy to see this happen for a Great American among us, Senator Daniel Inouye.

The List of Living Medal of Honor Recipients

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