After the ending of the Civil War, many began to gather to remember the lives that were lost and to decorate the graves with flowers. While not all of the graves were marked with names, and some were a mix of Union and Confederate soldiers, each grave was decorated, and the life that was lost mourned. Over time, monuments were erected to commemorate the men, and small celebrations were held across different towns in the nation. 

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day and began after the ending of the Civil War. It was changed to Memorial Day after World War I. In the years after the ending of the Civil War, small celebrations were held to remember the lives lost, place flowers upon the graves, and to remember the sacrifices made. The first ever Memorial Day was held after the ending of the Civil War by a group of freed slaves in South Carolina. 

As the United States became involved in more conflicts, such as the World Wars, the day was expanded to include the men and women who lost their lives during the wars. In 1971, it was designated as a federal holiday. At 3:30 each Memorial Day, there is a moment of silence held, but no one knows where this tradition began.

Throughout the history of the United States, thousands have given their lives. While we may not know all of their names, we remain thankful for their service and sacrifice.

“Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.”

President Theodore Roosevelt

Here are a few remarkable people that we tend to forget:

Jenny Wade – Mary Virginia Wade was a young woman who lived in Gettysburg during the Civil War. It is said that she was engaged to one soldier in the Union Army, while a mutual friend of theirs was in the Confederate Army. Jenny, as she was known, was killed when she was struck by a stray bullet while baking bread to be shared among her family and the Union soldiers who were stationed nearby. Legend has it that both her fiance and friend were killed on the same day during the battle of Gettysburg. Her family was given a small pension after the war for the services that she provided in feeding Union troops.

Florence Nightingale – During the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale gained distinction for the medical care that she organized –  much of which is still used today. Hailed as the founder of the Modern Nurse, with her guidance, sanitation, and better medical care were given to soldiers. Because of her care, many of those soldiers lived through the medical care they received, through better wound management and germ control. Besides training nurses, she went on to call attention to many much-needed changes in the care of wounded soldiers – and this has filtered down through the military and civilian sectors today. 

Rosie the Riveter – This remarkable woman was the face of factory workers during the Second World War. Through motivational posters and other materials produced at the time – she became the most popular face of the wartime effort at home. For munitions, planes, shipyards, and more – Rosie the Riveter is still today, one of the most iconic images from that era. There have been two women named as Rosie the Riveter. Geraldine Hoff Doyle worked in a machine shop for the Navy, while Rose Will Monroe was an actual riveter at the Detroit, Michigan Willow Run Bomber Plant. 

Civilian Women in the Factories – During the Great War, and then the subsequent Second World War, women left their kitchens in droves to work the factories and other essential services. There were large voids left by the men who were fighting overseas, and women picked up those jobs without complaint. Through the hard work by the women who kept things running here, machinery, war equipment, and other essentials needed for the war effort and survival at home kept running. These women deserve a cheer and a beer even now! 

It is not just the soldier that moves history forward. As the saying goes, “behind every great man is a woman just as great.” These are just a few of the remarkable figures from history, and there were many more fabulous females just waiting to be rediscovered!

In 2006, North Dakota resident, Shelle Michaels Aberle decided to take action in order to honor United States Military Service Members whom are currently deployed. This came about because of her cousin, LTC David Hosna, who had been deployed. She petitioned North Dakota Governor (at that time) John Hoeven to proclaim the first official “Day of the Deployed” on Oct. 26, 2006, which also happened to be her cousin’s birthday.

Soon after, the Day of the Deployed celebration spread to other states throughout the nation, and in 2011, Hoeven (who by then had become a senator) led the efforts to establish it as a national day of recognition, thus honoring all deployed Military Service Members and their Military Families. In 2011, the U.S. Senate passed an unanimous vote to make the day a National day of honor. By 2012, all 50 of the United States celebrated the day every year on October 26th.

I think this is a really awesome thing that was started by a Military Family Member.  It just goes to show you that whether you’re a spouse, child, parent, aunt, uncle, cousin, niece, nephew or grandparent; that there are ways to honor not just your family’s Military Service Member, but every families’ Military Service Member as well as all of your fellow Military Families!

We salute…. PVT Sarah Emma Edmonds!

Sarah Emma Edmonds was one of the very few women veterans from the Civil War, a time when women were not allowed to serve in the military. A Canada native who moved to Detroit, Michigan while young, disguised herself in 1861 as a man and joined the United States Army so that she could serve her country! Sarah went in under the name, Frank Thompson and was in the Second Volunteers of the Army as a male nurse and a spy for the Union!

In 1857, to escape the abuse and an arranged marriage, Edmondson left home, changing her name to Edmonds. Sarah lived and worked in another town away from home but living in fear she would be discovered by her father, it was then she decided to immigrate to the United States. In order to travel undetected and to secure a job, she decided to disguise herself as a man and took the name Franklin Thompson. She soon found work in Hartford, Connecticut as a traveling Bible salesman.

Under her alias, Frank Thompson she was mustered into the 2^nd Michigan Infantry. She initially worked as a nurse, working in the hospital but later was assigned the duties of a mail carrier. Sarah was shipped out of VA as part of General McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign and supposedly asked to conduct espionage missions. On May 5, 1862, the regiment came under heavy fire during the Battle of Williamsburg. Edmonds was caught in the middle and ended up grabbing a musket and firing alongside her comrades!  Sarah also acted as a stretcher bearer, ferrying the wounded from the field hour after hour in the pouring rain.

Through other battles Sarah Edmonds continued to see action, acting as moth a mail carrier and nurse; she also suffered injuries due to being thrown into a ditch, breaking her leg and suffering internal injuries.

Sarah eventually came out of her disguise after her recovery, working with the U.S. Christian commission as a female nurse. She wrote and published her memoirs, Nurse and Spy in the Union Army, donating profits from her book to various soldiers and aid groups.

ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE!

Be sure to look up her memoirs for a more detailed account of this incredible woman!

Thank you for your service!

#MilitaryMonday