unclerave

Memorial Day Jumble – 05/27/13

Major General John A. Logan
Major General John A. Logan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Visual Description:  LBJ signing the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, June 28.1968.

GREVE  =  VERGE,  BIORN  =  ROBIN,  TREERV  =  REVERT,  BACFIR  =  FABRIC   —   Giving us:  VGERONEETFR

Clue/Question:  Congress designated that Memorial Day would always be the last Monday in May so that we’d . . .

Answer:  NEVER FORGET

A young patriot salutes heroes at the 2009 Nat...
A young patriot salutes heroes at the 2009 National Memorial Day Concert on the West Lawn of the United States Capitol. See more at Army.mil (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: I took photo with Canon camera of LBJ...
English: I took photo with Canon camera of LBJ photo at National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. National government permanent collection. Public domain. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(I told you the guys wouldn’t let us down.  But . . . it is just a little misleading.  Originally, Memorial Day was always celebrated on May the 30th.  The first “official” Memorial Day – originally called Decoration Day – was observed on May 30, 1868.  The origin of Decoration Day is debatable, but it’s believed to have started during the American Civil War, when ladies would decorate the graves of their loved ones, who had died in battle, with flowers and small flags.  It likely wasn’t done on any specific day in the beginning, just whenever the spring flowers were in full bloom.  Many believe the informal Decoration Days were first carried out by Confederate wives and mothers.  And ironically, when it was proclaimed a holiday, by the Union General John Logan, many Southern states refused to acknowledge it.  It wasn’t until after WWI that the Southern states joined in, mainly because the holiday had grown to honor those Americans who had died in fighting any war.  Memorial Day was made a Monday holiday by an act of Congress, which wanted three day weekends for federal employees, through the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.  The act made Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Columbus Day and Veteran’s Day Monday holidays.  It was signed in 1968, but first took effect in 1971.  Washington’s Birthday later became President’s Day.  And, Veterans Day quickly reverted to its original November 11th observance.  When they later – 1983 – created Martin Luther King Jr. Day it was also designated as a Monday Holiday.  Memorial Day should be a fairly somber day of remembrance, but it is traditionally observed with parades and barbecues, as well.  It’s also known as the “unofficial start of summer” because beaches and pools open, colleges and universities are done with their spring graduations, and many school systems in the South are done for the year.  Most of the northern states gotta tough it out until around June the 20th.

Flags that were placed on gravesites at Fort L...
Flags that were placed on gravesites at Fort Logan National Cemetery during Memorial Day 2006 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

No new clue words.  Impressive answer letter layout, and a great drawing of Lyndon Baines Johnson and some late 60s dudes!  Be well, do good . . . and take time to remember those who gave their lives in service to our country, friends.)   —   YUR

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One comment

  1. WOW, thanks for the history lesson Unc. Very interesting. Reckon somewhere along the way I learned this in history…but that brain chip has been depleted. Great puzzle!!! It wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t easy.

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