....© 2000, Kimit A. Muston
I have an idea for a game. I'll tell you a famous event, and you tell me the date it happened. It'll be fun. No, it will. Think of it as the poor man's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire." Call it, "Who want's a quarter?"
Okay. It's 1431. Joan of Arc has inspired the French king Charles VII to reclaim his throne and kingdom from the English, leaving the English very unhappy. They would like to burn down a big chunk of France, but failing that, on this date in history, they have decided to burn down Joan instead. Okay, what's the date? Take your time. I'll wait. Did I mention it was 1431?
Okay, don't feel bad. That was a tough one. Let's try this one: it's 1806 and Andrew Jackson meets Charles Dickenson on what used to be called a "Field of Honor", and shoots him dead in a duel. What's the date? Just think it out. Andrew Jackson...Only president who killed a man. 1806. Want a hint? Dickenson insulted Jackson's wife. Did that help? I guess not.
Well, how about Lord Byron? Nineteenth century poet and sex symbol. On this date in 1810 he swims the six mile wide strait between Asia and Europe; the Dardanelles. He claims he is duplicating the act of the Greek hero Leander, but it's actually a publicity stunt for his next book of poetry. So, what's the date? Oh, come on. Take a guess.
All right, let's try an easy one. It's 1868. General of the Grand Army of the Republic, John A. Logan announces that this date will be to remember the 600,000 men and boys killed in the Civil War, which ended just three years before. The idea is that folks will take the day off from work, go out to local cemeteries with their families and place flowers and flags on the graves of the honored dead. And everybody did. In 1919, after World War One this date became a way to celebrate the sacrifice of all Americans who died defending freedom in all of our wars. Any ideas? Well, to be fair, you might not know this date if you're not over 45.
The date was the thirtieth day of May for all of them - Joan of Arc, Andrew Jackson, Lord Byron, and Memorial day: May the thirtieth. At least it was Memorial day until an act of Congress turned it into just another three day holiday ending on the last Monday in May.
There is no doubt about it, a Monday holiday saves a lot of money for businesses as opposed to closing for one day in the middle of the week. And it's popular with folks who work for a living, too. A three day holiday gives you time for short vacations and family outings. But is that what Memorial Day was supposed to be about?
I can remember when Memorial Day came in the middle of the week. That made the day very special. I can remember the family picnic in the afternoon. But more than that I remember the morning trip out to the cemetery with the small American flags, the honor guards, the twenty-one gun salutes, the bugle sending "taps" out over the endless rows of headstones. They still play taps before the Indy 500, but does anybody remember that this race used to be called "The Memorial Day Classic"?
I suppose we couldn't change the day back, now. Too many people enjoy the three days off in a row. But the day doesn't mean what it once did, when it was a special day. We might as well call the last Monday in May the Andrew Jackson straight shooter day, when we could hold the Lord Byron memorial swim meet, and top everything off with a Joan of Arc barbecue. That would honor our veterans about as much as most people will this Memorial Day weekend.
Kimit A.Muston is a writer living in North Hollywood. His work may be also be read in the Los Angeles Daily News