Remembering Memorial Day .......

My Mother's Front Porch
By Monmouth


Memorial Day brings back fond memories of my mother's front porch.. We lived in a white house with the wrap-around porch on the parade route. Mother was of the opinion that those who could see onto the front porch would equate the scene with how she kept house. No junk allowed! Preparations for Memorial Day would start days before with the mopping and hosing down of the entire front area, (my job), my brother would hose down and clean the monstrously heavy glider/three-cushioned couch that was a mainstay of porch furniture back in the day. My dad was in charge of coals on the barbecue and ice for beverages.

The flowers (pots of geraniums) were delivered days before and put on the sides of the front steps, and egg whites (for whiskey sours) were left out in a bowl overnight to make those sours extra special (don't ask, I have no idea). My Aunt Peg made the best deviled eggs ever and we couldn't wait for her and Uncle Ray to arrive (he of the Battle of the Bulge) so those eggs could get into the fridge with the potato and macaroni salads quickly, before brother and I started to "sample."

Our towns' heroes are memorialized at the Elk's Point and the beginning of the parade site. My cousin's dad was killed in the Pacific at Corregidor. She never knew him but through extensive research and the help of Veteran's groups she was able to travel back a few years ago on the anniversary of that battle. There is a marker with his name on it as one of many honorees. We have more than our share of heroes for the size of our town. There were those Vets who came home after WWII and Korea who were mentally damaged but managed to stand at attention with tears running down their faces at the Elk's Point every Memorial Day and march in that wonderful parade.

We would sit on that porch and cheer and yell out to the various bands and groups who went by. For some reason the "Colored" Elks and their contingent of veterans always got the biggest applause and cheers. God, they were magnificent. Uncle Ray didn't march, but sat quietly on the porch, with a whiskey sour in hand. We left him alone with his thoughts. He preferred it that way. People would come up on the porch to say hello, sit for a spell, have a cold whatever and do some catching up.

I miss that house, my brother and I of course, are the only ones left. As I type this they are assembling at the Elk's Point. The American Legion and firehouses are preparing for the throng of people who will gather there after the parade is over. I have a feeling there will not be the exuberance as in those years I remember. The celebration back then was that WWII and Korea were over, Viet Nam's pain stayed for a long time and for many a Vet of that war, still remains.

I miss that crowd, I miss that house, and I miss that reason to celebrate. Maybe next year, maybe....

What a wonderful and beautiful story!

Your story is so well-told...

Thank you for bringing it to all of us!

I'm proud to recommend it.

I could see it just as if I had been sitting on that porch with you.

This old vet thanks you, monmouth,
Sonoman

Your touching post had 2 recs when I hit the rec button and brought the total number of recs back to 2.

These punk trolls don't have the balls to own up to their own actions.

I think I will mix myself a Manhatten.

And I will have Whiskey Sours on Memorial Day, for you, monmouth, and all the Ones Who Have Gone Before us.

Sonoman

Whiskey Sours, if anyone knows why Mother left the egg whites out over night I would love to know....LOL. Never did get an answer from her on that.

that the egg white would sort of 'settle' or congeal, that way making a stiffer foam.

I'll try one drink (or more) with overnight whites and at least one with straight-out-of-the-shell whites.

Now, monmouth, I am going back to GD and raise a discussion on that un-rec.

Sonoman

Rec

....the flavor of that time quite well....it was an easier time, simpler time, a time with clear understandings....

....back then, we all believed America was new, better, different, virtuous and righteous, unlike the old tarnished states of Europe or the rest of the heathen world....

This really hit home for me. Not sure if you experience Memorial Day the same, but the Memorial Days of my youth (50s/60s) were totally different than they are today. I guess we weren't that far removed from the WWII and all of the people who were directly involved and impacted by the effects of the war. If there was a righteous war to be fought, I believe that was truly the last one in my lifetime. My grandfather, a WWI vet, was commander of the local American Legion Post, my Dad a WW2 veteran....so it was a very important weekend with parades, picnics, a special mass, and concert in the park. I remember it as being a bigger deal than the July 4th celebrations.

Today, while I live a few hours removed from my hometown, I know it has nowhere near the importance that it had to me 40+ years ago. I'm not a veteran and the people of my dad and grandfather's generations are mostly gone. While I think back and remember Memorial Days past, I don't have their experiences (good and horrible) in these wars to reflect back upon. I don't think many Americans of my age do, to be honest. I know this day is meant to honor the people who made the ultimate sacrifices in all of our wars, but our wars have steadily become harder to honestly justify. Korea, VietNam, Iraq 1 and 2, and Afghanistan were wars that were fought for reasons other than national survival. And that is certainly not said to disrespect the sacrifices made by those who fought, were injured, or died in this conflicts; just a sad acknowledgment that the casus belli's of these conflicts were built on ideological fear, flawed intelligence, political opportunity, or corporate economic benefit. Subconsciously, has that changed our national psyche on how we think about Memorial Day? Can we honor the individual sacrifice without asking why these people's lives were sacrificed? Don't know the answer, but I do know that I see less and less public engagement in this holiday. Seems to me Memorial Day is now more about heralding in the beginning of summer with a 3 day holiday weekend for people to get away to the beach, the lake, or the mountains. Or a time to get some serious work done around the house.

So innocent in its lack of awareness of what the future would bring.

:hug: