The Legacy of Mary Logan

It was March of 1868, three years after the terrible Civil War that threatened to divide a nation and pitted brother against brother, friend against friend.  Mary Logan, wife of Gen. John A. Logan-Commander in Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, ventured south to see first hand how the nation, especially areas in the battle ravaged South, was healing. 

In Petersburg, VA, she stopped off to visit the oldest church in the region-a grand old structure disassembled in England whose bricks had been brought over and reassembled here.  As she passed through the court graveyard, she was overcome by the extensive floral decorations and hand-sewn Confederate flags that adorned each and every headstone there.

She determined then and there that every headstone of every soldier who had sacrificed their all in that terrible conflict should be shown the same respect.  In her words, "...for they were all heroes, each dying for the cause he thought was right.  They gave their all to prove their sincerity, and they all died true Americans whatever their political affiliations may have been." 

With the force of her determination, Mary Logan spearheaded the creation of a national "Decoration Day", to be observed every May 30th.  Memorial Day, formalized officially by President Lyndon Johnson (About 100 years after Mary Logan's idea.  What took so long?), came about because one lady saw something good and decent and set out to share this good and decent thing with the rest of the country.  Her determination, her vision, her idea and follow-through - Helped heal our nation!

I know that there are $99 mattresses to buy and financing deals from our ailing car manufacturers too good to pass up this weekend, but between all this superfluous busyness, take a minute this weekend to remember the words of Gen. Logan who helped create this holiday at the urging and prompting of his wife:

"Let us, then, all unite in the solemn feelings of the hour, and tender with our flowers the warmest sympathies of our souls! 

Let us revive our patriotism and love of country by this act and strengthen our loyalty by the example of the noble dead around us"

Indeed, let us remember and cherish "the example of the noble dead around us"!  Without them, there is no U.S.