AS A CHILD

When I was a child living in rural Kansas, the Memorial Day holiday was called

Decoration Day. It was a time to honor those who had gone before and most                                  

especially those who had served in the military.

We'd all gather at our local cemetery in the morning. We'd place flowers

on the graves of our loved ones,  then proceed to the

 Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for a program. After the Color Guard, and a prayer,

we'd have a speaker (usually the Mayor or other local dignitary),

then we'd all proceed to the city park for one great big picnic.

Traditional Memorial Day celebrations and observances such as I remember have

greatly diminished over the last 30 years. No longer do we see the great parades ....

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