Reflections on #Memorial Day by Kevin E. Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/br3hams The Tentacle
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
The Tentacle Wednesday, May 23, 2012 Reflections on #Memorial
Day by Kevin E. Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/br3hams
Next Monday is Memorial Day. For many it is more than a
holiday, it is a day when we gather as a community to express our gratitude to
our country’s men and women in uniform, who by their sacrifice cannot be with
us to enjoy the day… http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=5122
This year, Westminster and Carroll County will
mark its 145th
observance of Memorial Day with an expanded parade and four-days of
activities.
The tradition of the parade and ceremony in Westminster
began in 1868, when Mary Bostwick Shellman followed General John A. Logan’s May
5, 1868, General Order No. 11 to adorn the graves of Union soldiers with
flowers. She gathered a group of schoolchildren for the task and they walked
from the old schoolhouse on Center Street to Westminster Cemetery.
[…]
Last
week I wrote about a local community leader, Atlee Willis Wampler,
Jr., who served as the Westminster Memorial Day parade marshal for more than 44
years, from just after World War II until he passed away March 11, 1991.
[…]
That said, I have grown exhausted with the gut-wrenching
existentialism and overwhelming fatigue that accompanies covering
military funerals for the paper.
I was quite struck by a May 6 article in The Washington
Post by Ian Shapira, “Barbara Robbins: A slain CIA secretary’s life
and death,” about a little-known Vietnam War casualty from a bombing that
occurred in Saigon March 30, 1965.
According to the article, “The CIA director revealed only a
few details about the 21-year-old woman, a secretary among spies. In the
agency’s annual memorial service for employees killed on the job, then-Director
Leon E. Panetta announced that a new name had been inscribed with calligraphy
inside the CIA’s
Book of Honor: Barbara Annette Robbins, who had volunteered to go to Saigon
during the Vietnam War…
[…]
The story of Ms. Robbins is compelling and evocative. Yet
for me, what I found particularly haunting was the black
and white picture of a very young American, in a far-off land, defending
our freedoms, staring right at us.
The Tentacle Wednesday, May 23, 2012 Reflections on #Memorial
Day by Kevin E. Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/br3hams
See Also: Eagle Archive: Wampler's life of service made him
an apt participant on #Westminster #Memorial Day http://tinyurl.com/7vojfmx
Atlee Wampler was a tall man who maintained a military
bearing forged in heavy combat throughout WWII, all his life
Wampler served as the #Westminster #Carroll Co #Memorial Day
parade marshall from 1947 until his death in 1991 http://tinyurl.com/7vojfmx
By Kevin Dayhoff, May 19, 2012 http://twitpic.com/9pbno6 http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/carroll/news/ph-ce-eagle-archive-0520-20120519,0,5649787.story
On May 28, Carroll County and Westminster will mark the 145th
observance of Memorial Day with an expanded parade and three-days of
activities — thanks to all the hard work of American Legion Carroll Post No. 31 and leaders
like Skip Amass, coordinator of this year's activities.
The tradition of the parade and ceremony in Westminster
began in 1868, when Mary Bostwick Shellman followed General John A. Logan's May
5, 1868, General Order No. 11 — which called upon people to adorn the graves of
Union soldiers with flowers.
She gathered a group of schoolchildren for that task, and
they walked from the old schoolhouse on Center Street to Westminster Cemetery.
As with all the many stories in Carroll, the hands and
hearts of countless individuals and community organizations have guided and
nurtured the observances over the years. The list is long and celebrated.
However, one of the names historically synonymous with
Memorial Day is particularly worthy of note — Atlee Willis Wampler Jr… READ
MORE: http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/carroll/news/ph-ce-eagle-archive-0520-20120519,0,5649787.story
Labels: Annual
Memorial Day, CIA,
Dayhoff
Media The Tentacle, Dayhoff
writing essays military, History
Military, Military
Memorial Day
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Recently on Explore
Carroll and Eagle Archives: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/search/label/Dayhoff%20Media%20Explore%20Carroll
Dayhoff
Media Explore Carroll, http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2012/05/recently-on-explore-carroll-and-eagle.html
[20120526 To those who serve thank you] http://tinyurl.com/7q46ksr
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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net Explore Carroll: www.explorecarroll.com The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com
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