Happy Memorial Day! Although I've always known Memorial Day honors those who have lost their lives serving in the U.S. Military, I realized I don't know much about the origins of the holiday. Thank you Google for educating me. Just like our country, the holiday has gone through a number of iterations. Most notably it originated in the 1860's when one of the first observances was made by freed enslaved people, with some locals, where they buried and honored Union Troops lost in horrendous POW conditions during the Civil War. Later during that decade it became known as Decoration Day when the graves of Civil War soldiers were decorated and honored for their service. It wasn't until after WWI that the day became known as Memorial Day, honoring all those who served their country. What I especially took from my "research" was that in 1950 the President issued a proclamation calling on all Americans to observe Memorial Day "as a day of prayer for permanent peace". 

 

Since the early 1980's Rotary International leaders have envisioned "World Understanding and Peace through Rotary" eventually making it one of our core areas of focus. I hope you will join us for our June 7th Zoom meeting - Part II of "Rotary Friendship Triumphs over other Ideologies" with Dr. Vicki Radel, a past District 5280 Governor and a Rotary Peace Ambassador involved in Rotary International peace building. Even if you didn't participate in Part I last month, I encourage you to join us and a stellar group of facilitators from around the world to engage in some very meaningful discussion.