I am grateful for the men and women who have served our country and today I honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. “Of ever honored memory,” a phrase used by Beta Theta Pi, is one that runs through my head today and I hope that Beta will not mind me borrowing it on Memorial Day.
I admire those who document the efforts put forth by those who served our country. I follow the SigEpPatriotsProject @SigEpsWhoServe on twitter. A Sig Ep alumnus has compiled an impressive file of Sig Eps who have served their country and he shares his research on twitter.
I also saw this post for an exhibit at Knox College and I wish it wasn’t a five-hour drive to get there. I’d love to see this exhibit.
I had no idea who John A. Logan was until I moved to Southern Illinois. An American soldier and politician, he was born in 1826, and he died a little more than 60 years later. Logan was elected Illinois State Senator, Congressman, and U.S. Senator. He, on a ticket with James G. Blaine, ran an unsuccessful campaign for Vice-President of the United States. As a soldier he served in the Mexican-American War. He later became a General in the Union Army. Logan was the 3rd Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). To him has been given much of the credit in the establishment of Memorial Day. The first observance of Decoration Day, as Memorial Day was known, has been claimed by many locales, but I believe this plaque which resides in Woodlawn Cemetery.
A few past posts with ties to Memorial Day:
On Memorial Day, “In Flanders Fields”
“Ye Are Not Dead” on Memorial Day 2017
#WHM – Gladys Gilpatrick, AΔΠ, and the Pillar in Memorial Stadium
Helen Marlowe, Tennis Champion, Zeta Tau Alpha, and Marine Captain
