Saturday, June 21, 2025
Several cities toward the eastern coast in the United States lay claim to the very first Memorial Day tradition, but many attribute the long-standing holiday’s origins to Decoration Day.
According to the University of North Carolina Press, Decoration Day was a proclamation by Grand Army of the Republic commander-in-chief General John A. Logan on May 5, 1868. He declared that it should be celebrated nationwide, and so many northern states began celebrating the holiday.
The tradition picked up steam after U.S. President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in April 1865, and continued to grow in popularity for decades after.
“The Good Fight That Didn’t End: Henry P. Goddard’s Accounts of Civil War and Peace” by Henry Perkins Goddard and Calvin Goddard Zon (2008) stated that the name “Memorial Day” gradually replaced Decoration Day after World War II, and in 1967, the U.S. declared Memorial Day as a federal holiday.
Today, Americans across the nation celebrate this holiday, with many veterans taking the time to remember their fallen brothers and sisters.
“When I was in the military, you meet people, and you may not see them for 10 years, but when you see them, it’s just like you’re brothers and sisters,” said Rick Simpson, a Concordia resident and American Legion Post 76 Americanism Children and Youth coordinator. “I think everybody who has been in the military has that bond with each other.”
Simpson said he began serving in the United States Army in 1979 and continued serving on active duty until he went into the National Guard. After the events of September 11, 2001, though, he re-enlisted and took a few tours in Kuwait and Iraq.
Celebrating Memorial Day means more about community for Simpson, though, with his involvement at the local Legion post and the events he assists with each year.
American Legion members perform the Avenue of Flags for Memorial Day each year, lining the Pleasant Hill Cemetery gravesites and roads with dozens of flags.
“What it means to me is remembering everyone who has served, and they gave the ultimate sacrifice in their service,” Simpson said. “Whether you go to an event or just do it on your own, it’s about giving them the recognition and honor that they deserve, and remember that they also left families behind.”
While the Avenue of Flags will rise at 8 a.m. on Monday, May 26, at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, volunteers plan to place flags throughout the cemetery at 9 a.m. on the Saturday before, May 24.
For some families, though, they aim to honor many of their family members, more than those who served in the armed forces.
Fran Trost and her family have a tradition of visiting the gravesites of passed family members, including both those who served for their country and those who lived as civilians.
“My father always took us around to all the cemeteries that our family members are buried in which is mostly in Republic County,” Trost said. “He would tell us about each one of them and the stories they had—just to teach us our family history and where we came from.”
Another family member of Trost, Chad Sallman, also continues the tradition, which Sallman said began five decades ago.
Sallman said he remembered attending each Memorial Day event, which usually happens the Sunday right before Memorial Day, and how it was once a large family event.
“It was a fun time,” Sallman said. “You got to see all your cousins, hang out and we would go to all the cemeteries and pay our respects to our family.”
The tradition continues to this day, although not as many people attend. Sallman and Trost both remarked that the family might have missed only a few years of this tradition, but they want to keep it going in the future.
“I’m a big tradition person, my brothers and sister are too,” Sallman said. “I think it’ll go on for at least the next 20 years because… the connection is still there.”
Trost and Sallman said they both plan to continue the tradition this year, visiting the multiple cemeteries across the northern portion of Kansas.
One theme remains throughout each way to celebrate the holiday: tradition. Simpson, Trost and Sallman all agreed that continuing this remembrance tradition is important for the next generation.
“I don’t think history is taught like it was back when I went to school,” Simpson said. “They [teachers] taught more about it [Memorial Day] with the history of the Civil War and things like that, and I don’t think they fully grasp what it all means.”
Multiple communities will participate in Memorial Day, including a 10 a.m. Miltonvale City Cemetery Memorial Day service on Monday, May 26, American Legion Post 76’s service at 11 a.m. at the Concordia American Legion and many Avenue of Flags celebrations.
