LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - MAY 8, 2022 by Lynne Belluscio Each year, in the early morning on Memorial Day, a group of men from the LeRoy American Legion assemble at the local cemeteries. The flag is raised to full staff and then lowered to half-staff position, where it remains until noon, and then, in a salute to the men and women who gave their lives for their country, the flag is raised once again. This duty has been part of the BottsFiorito Post 576 since they were chartered in 1919 after World War I. Before the American Legion, the commemoration was part of the ritual of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) which was a group of Civil War Union veterans. The G.A.R was formed in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, by Benjamin Stephenson, M.D. and Chaplin Rev. William Rutledge. The G.A.R. pioneered funeral rituals and customs for its members. This included a firing party as a final tribute and the playing of taps. Graves were decorated with floral tributes, a wreath, and a US flag. The LeRoy G.A.R. Staunton Post 386 was chartered on September 6, 1883. The last Civil War veteran in LeRoy, Richard Geer, died in 1928, and is buried in Machpelah Cemetery. The tradition of Memorial Day – known also as Decoration Day, was supposedly initiated by General John Logan, Commander of the National G.A.R. who chose May 30, according to legend, because it fell on a day that wasn’t an anniversary of a Civil War battle. In Western New York, the story of Memorial Day is associated with nearby Waterloo, which claims that it is “The Birthplace of Memorial Day.” On March 7, 1966, Governor Nelson Rockefeller proclaimed that Waterloo was the “Birthplace of Memorial Day.” A few months later, on May 30, 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law, a resolution: “By House Concurrent Resolution 587, the Eightyninth Congress has officially recognized that the patriotic tradition of observing Memorial Day began one hundred years ago in Waterloo, New York. In conformity with the request contained in that concurrent resolution, it is my privilege to call attention to the centennial observance of Memorial Day in Waterloo, New York, on May 30, 1966.” However, recent research by historians Daniel Bellware and Richard Gardiner, and published in their book: “The Genesis of the Memorial Day Holiday in America” makes a good case to refute the story of Waterloo. At least twenty southern communities claim to have held memorial services prior to those held inWaterloo. This includes the story of a cemetery that was dedicated on May 1, 1865, by a group of recently freed slaves in Charleston, South Carolina. Perhaps it also should be mentioned, that the G.A.R. chose to honor Union soldiers. In LeRoy, for example, the Soldiers’ monument on Trigon Park lists the veterans of the Civil War, as veterans of “The War of the Rebellion.” This was a pointed acknowledgment that the North won and the South lost. TheG.A.R. was the moving force behind changing Decoration Day to Memorial Day “because it was more dignified.” Actually, Decoration Day was the term preferred in the South - - and according to some sources, nine states in the South, continue to commemorate Decoration Day, not Memorial Day - - and in some places, it is celebrated not on May 30, but Jefferson Davis’ birthday, June 3. In1948 soldiers of the3rdU.S. Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard, began the tradition of “Flags In” at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. Today, in one hour, over 280,000 flags are placed on the graves by The Old Guard. The public is welcome to observe “Flags In,” however, the public is not allowed to bring flags into Arlington or to decorate the graves. All flags are removed before the cemetery opens to the public the next day. Arlington Cemetery became a national cemetery on June 15, 1864, by order of Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton. The first official Decoration Day, was held at Arlington on May 30, 1868. Confederate states would not participate in the memorialization until after World War I. It is not certain when flags were first placed on all the graves of veterans on Memorial Day in LeRoy. In fact, in 1900, Memorial Day was not commemorated. Instead the G.A.R. held a service at the Presbyterian Church. According to an article in the Gazette in 1900, members of the Grand Army of the Republic gathered at the Presbyterian Church for a service, then went to the G.A.R. club rooms, where they “procured the flowers that had been donated (and) proceeded to the various cemeteries in the town to decorate the graves of their comrades.” In 1926, after WorldWar I and the formation of the American Legion, the Gazette noted that the Legion “decorated the graves of Soldiers, Sailors and Marines.” It is not noted whether graves were decorated with flags or flowers. The LeRoy Businessmen’s Association bought grave markers for 300 veterans in LeRoy. And here are a few other interesting facts about Memorial Day: It wasn’t declared an official Federal Holiday until 1967 and that didn’t become official until 1971. At one time, Memorial Day was to honor only those who died while in service to their country. Today it honors all the veterans who served in the military, whether or not in wartime. In 2000, Congress passed a bill establishing a “National Moment of Remembrance” which takes place at 3:00 PM local time on Memorial Day. Wearing a poppy on Memorial Day began with a poem, “In Flander’s Fields” from World War I and was traditionally associated with Armistice Day – now known as Veteran’s Day on November 11, which ended World War I. Today, the American Legion’s “Poppy Day” is held on Memorial Day, not Veteran’s Day in November. Please join us this year, on Memorial Day, on Trigon Park, as we honor Capt. Milton Thompson, who died during the Korean War. His name will be added to the Korean War monument. Memorial Day
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