Over the years we have written so many Memorial Day articles. It is our desire to always remember and honor all those who have served our country and contributed to our freedom.
Hence; there cannot be enough of their stories told.
We have shared a few great stories here. It is our hope to be able to continue sharing more in the future. Each story or article shared has a slightly different perspective.
Memorial Day seems to bring out the poet in us. You will find poems from the past here also.
Some articles are stories that we love to remember about the war Veterans whom we honor. Others are simply decorating, celebrating and cooking ideas that we have found useful in keeping Memorial Day festive.
Therefore; this year we thought it might be nice to group all of our past articles together into one article and let you click into your favorites.
Welcome to your own Everything Memorial Day Magazine. It is our little Memorial Day gift to all of our cherished readers.
Enjoy!
As a side-note to the above article:
I have many friends and family members who served in Vietnam. Whenever I get the opportunity I seek out their stories to try to verify if what I’ve learned is true. One of those friends is named Jim Gill. He posted his feelings about Vietnam a while back and I asked him if it would be okay to quote him. He agreed. This is his first-hand summary of time spent in Vietnam:
“I’m recording the Ken Burns documentary “The Vietnam War” and expect to be entertained and enlightened with his factual, humanistic approach to analyzing any subject matter. My personal feelings on this particular subject, however, are deeply seated and are unlikely to be changed.
My personal opinions of that war were formed in 1969-1970 while serving as a platoon sergeant with the 4th Infantry Division in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. When I arrived in the country as a 21 year old, I had a very limited knowledge of the geopolitical world and zero knowledge of Vietnam. However, within a very short period of time (probably about 3 months) my observations resulted in the following conclusions…
1. The USA could never win the war.
2. Most Vietnamese people liked Americans but hated their own government and hated their army.
3. Time mattered not. The Vietnamese could fight on forever…Fighting was the only life they knew.
4. The majority of the US soldiers serving and dying were poor uneducated whites and blacks without any economic or political power.
5. USA Politicians pontificated and would never allow the military to do what was required to defeat the enemy.
6. 100 USA soldiers were being killed weekly with no “victories” to show for it…nothing was being accomplished.
7. The “War” was a total waste of human life. Nothing would be gained by any soldier’s supreme sacrifice.
8. The United States Government betrayed every soldier they asked to serve in that war.
Right or wrong…That summarizes my 1970 thoughts and opinions…nothing has happened in the past 47 years to change them.
I hope Ken Burns’ documentary will make some sense of it all.”
Thank you Jim for such a first-hand reflection. Recalling all of those days could not be easy. I hope the documentary made some sense of it all for you and everyone who served. Honestly though; I doubt that is possible.
Thank you for your service and I’m sorry for all the mess you encountered there that could have been prevented or handled in a much different way. When do you suppose we will learn from our past mistakes?
Of course a lot of our stories of Veterans, both those who have passed on to heaven and those who are still withus; flowed over into articles that we shared on Veteran’s Day.
I know it isn’t always appropriate to mix the two holidays. Forgive me for doing it this one time because these stories are still part of the Memorial Day stories that I wish to share.
They apply to both times.
One date is for those who survived their service and one date is about honoring those who died while defending our freedoms. Still; I wish to share a few past Veteran’s Day articles that tell more stories in this mix because they speak of the freedom that those we honor have given to us.
DECORATIONS FOR FATHER’S DAY WORKED AS WELL FOR MEMORIAL DAY
Want some good Memorial Day decorating ideas?
Some of our Father’s Day and Pentecost decorating ideas have served dual purposes. Most every family honors a father who once served our country. There are those we remember who served who are no longer with us. All of my Father’s brother’s served in the military with him. They have all gone on to higher places where the reward is no more battles.
These articles though not titled “Memorial Day Décor” still fit the scheme for Memorial Day decorating. You might enjoy browsing through them again.
Even some of our articles on Independence Day have great décor ideas that would be just as appropriate and work well for Memorial Day; so we are including a few of those here too:
GOOD RECIPES FOR MEMORIAL DAY CELEBRATIONS
Okay; maybe you just want to put all philosophical thoughts aside and honor those who provided your freedom simply by gathering, eating and celebrating with those you love. Nothing Un-American about that!
If that is your situation; you may be wanting to use some of our tried and true recipes for your Memorial Day Picnics. Lots of churches still do “Founder’s Day” and have picnics right there in the cemetery where the founders we all want to honor are buried. Here are a few of our favorite recipes:
SEVEN LAYER DIP
Ingredients:
Beans, Salsa, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Cheese, Green Onions and Olives.
Directions:
Layer all ingredients in an appropriate dish, exactly in the order that they are listed, starting with the beans and working your way up to the olives as the last layer on top. Keep this mixture cold until serving time. Serve with Tortilla chips.
Can you name the seven gifts of the spirit that each layer of this dip represents?
They are: 1) wisdom 2) understanding 3) counsel 4) fortitude 5) knowledge 6) piety and 7) Fear of The LORD. (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)
HONEY GARLIC WINGS
Ingredients:
3 pounds chicken wings (20 – 30 wings)
2/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup water
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup rice vinegar
4 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
6 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Directions:
Wash and pat dry the chicken wings. Cut and discard wingtips. The wings should be cut at the joint. Combine soy sauce, water, chopped green onions, vinegar, honey, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and red pepper and chili paste if desired. Pour mixture over wings inside a plastic bag and store in refrigerator for two to six hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cover a large baking tray with foil and spray foil with cooking spray. Pour the marinade out into a sauce bowl and set aside. Arrange the wings in the prepared baking tray and bake. Turn after 30 minutes have passed. Bake the wings for about an hour total; or until they are nicely browned.
About 10 minutes before serving put the marinade sauce into a pot and bring it to a nice rolling boil, then reduce to a simmer and let simmer for about five minutes. Use this sauce as a dip for the wings when serving. Put the wings on a platter with the chopped green onions sprinkled for a garnish. Include a bowl of the sauce on the platter. Celery can be served with these wings.
Why choose to serve wings for Memorial Day?
Because when a soldier was promoted he often received a patch on his uniform in the form of wings. Wings represent honor and victory in battle. This probably originated from the Great Angel named Michael who helps us fight our spiritual battles.
OLD FASHIONED MACARONI SALAD
Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 pound large elbow macaroni
2 stalks chopped celery, including leaves
1 large shallot, chopped
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 (4-ounce) jar chopped pimentos, drained
3 tablespoons sweet pickled relish
Kosher salt and pepper
Directions:
Boil some eggs, then peel and chop them. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and add macaroni. Cook until al dente. Drain and rinse. Combine the chopped eggs, celery, shallots and lemon juice. Add the macaroni and stir.
(If you are wondering which Veteran this salad represents – it is Yankee Doodle, of course!)
Well; I hope The IN SEASON Lifestyle Blog has given you a few good ideas for celebrating and honoring those who have defended our country and fought for our freedom.
So; enjoy your celebration.
We are still free; pray and work hard for us to stay that way because the enemy prowls around us like a roaring lion.
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO YOU AND YOURS!
Gail Landgraf/Author, Editor, Publisher – The IN SEASON Lifestyle Blog
Beautifully written. Thank you.