What does Memorial Day stand for? A day off? The start of summer? Parades and picnics? The opening of public swimming pools? The day you can start to wear white again?
Some think that the “Memorial” in Memorial Day has been ignored. It seems that many of us don’t observe the day as it should be, a day where we actively remember our ancestors, our family members, our loved ones, our neighbors, and our friends who have given their life to fight for our freedom.
As many people prepare to go to the beach or have a picnic or just spend a day at the mall, Memorial Day gets lost amid the hubbub of a long weekend and the unofficial maker of summer. While I admit that I sometimes lose sight of how lucky we are to live in a free country and to have people willingly fight for our democracy, I’ve also learned that Memorial Day’s meaning goes far beyond the three-day weekend we anticipate each year.
When I was young my parents would take us kids to the local Memorial Day parade to honor our veterans or fallen soldiers and to actively acknowledge the fact that my two grandfathers served in WWII. When I got a little older, we’d watch war movies like Gettysburg or Saving Private Ryan every Memorial Day to learn as best we could about the conflicts of war and the suffering that ensued. For the last few years, however, I haven’t made much of an effort to partake in real Memorial Day events.
That’s why this year I decided to bring the solemn meaning back to Memorial Day and turn my mind and heart to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice – not to honor war, but to honor those who died in such conflicts or war. I feel by taking an hour or so out of my extended weekend to reflect on this meaning, I’m doing what little justice I can to the day.
On Sunday, Eric and I spent nearly an hour at the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center. Located along the shore of Lake Michigan, the War Memorial Center is Wisconsin’s most visible memorial that’s dedicated to the men and women who gave their lives to preserve the freedom of the United States and the world.
The Center was conceived by a group of Milwaukee women in the late years of WWII to honor everyone who served in the United States Armed Forces. According to the website, the Center’s mission is “to honor the dead by serving the living through arts and diverse cultural activities.” People who were moved by this vision began fundraising and eventually pooled together enough resources to dedicate the building in 1957.
To this day, the Center is a way to keep the veteran community’s legacies alive, ensuring that future generations remember the sacrifices that were made to afford each of us the freedoms we enjoy every day. It’s also a great way to get back to the original spirit of Memorial Day, or to just spend a few hours to reflect on any given day.
The building itself shows the architectural and cultural significance of Milwaukee at the time it was constructed. It was designed to look like a “floating cruciform with cantilevered portions” and it's considered a classic in the development of modern architecture.
I also learned that the west-facing wall of the Center was later transformed into a tribute to honor those who died in service from 1941 to 1957 and from 1950 to 1953 by a 1,440,000-piece mosaic that features Roman numerals to represent the dates of WWII and the Korean Conflict.
Eric and I went up a couple of steps and entered through the main entrance and into the gallery. On Sunday, the entire place was quiet besides the muffled sounds from activities taking place outside.
The single room gallery is spacious and is framed by expansive windows that offer a picturesque view of Lake Michigan and Veterans Park. Around the room is a small selection of military displays, including a glass case filled with different medals like the Purple Heart, a small scale model of a battleship complete with little action figures, and a mini replica of the Southeastern Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans Memorial, plus several commemorative plaques adorning the stone walls.
It only took us a few minutes to examine each item, and then we ascended the stairs to the third floor, a hallway that wraps around an open, concrete terrace below. On both the third and fourth floors are large collections of original, fully-restored American, British and French WWI and WWII posters. While the propaganda posters were cool, I was a little disappointed because I was hoping to see something more.
Next, we went back downstairs and outside to the courtyard. Here is the Honor Roll and Eternal Flame Memorial, which was erected when the Center was originally designed in 1957 specifically to honor Milwaukee County’s fallen soldiers.
The eternal flame illuminates a black-granite Honor Roll that lists Milwaukee County’s 3,472 deceased soldiers from WWII and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. It wasn’t until later that the names of soldiers from Vietnam were added, but when they were, the Honor Roll became the first Vietnam Memorial in the county, says the website. Additionally, four mosaic panels with the insignias of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard, and Marines reflect in the pool of the Honor Court, which was a great touch.
Also in the courtyard is the WWI Memorial, along with the Fox Company Memorial that is a privately funded memorial dedicated to the Marines of Fox Company who were killed in action in Iraq.
In just 40 minutes, we studied each monument and display inside the War Memorial Center. On our way out, we stopped by the Abraham Lincoln Statue near the entrance of the Center. I read that this statue was commissioned to be built with pennies collected by school children. Apparently, the pennies were melted down and then sculpted into Mr. Lincoln. How cool is that?
We also took a few minutes to take in the three Wausau Red Granite columns that makeup the Southeastern Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans Memorial – it’s hard to walk past this enormous monument and not stop for a few minutes. This local memorial recognizes the sacrifice of millions of Americans who have died in uniform and now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.
As the focal point of Veterans Park, this monument’s three staggered columns – standing 22, 26 and 30-feet high – represent those killed in action, P.O.W./M.I.A.(s), and those returned home. Five granite benches also sit behind the columns symbolizing the five branches of the military, while eleven granite posts encircling the memorial to signify each (officially recognized) year of the Vietnam War.
There also is an inner circle of bricks that's reserved for those who served in Vietnam as the outer circle is for veterans of other wars and conflicts, or for anyone who wishes to show their respect and support.
It was really heartbreaking to see new bricks engraved with a year of death from only last year and the entire section of bricks dedicated to P.O.W./M.I.A. It’s terrible to think that there are families that will forever grieve for their lost loved one or folks out there who still don’t know what happened to their family member or friend. It really changed my perspective on things. Looking at the bricks it made me truly thankful for those who have served and fought and died to win the freedom and democracy that we cherish.
After spending our afternoon looking over all of the displays at the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center, Eric and I began to dwell on what we felt as we trekked back to my apartment. All of this made me wonder: if we didn’t have a three-day weekend to memorialize this day, would we even think about it or take the time to acknowledge it? That would be a pity wouldn’t it? It would remove an important bond with those brave men and women who have given their lives in our Nation’s service. Think about it, though. Without a day off of work or school, I bet many of us wouldn’t even remember Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Am I right?
Three-day weekends are, in theory, still okay, but I certainly won’t let it erode Memorial Day’s significance any longer. While I still love spending the holiday outside grilling or playing on the beach, I’m always going to take time to honor and reflect on the sacrifices made by the men and women who have fought for the United States.
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Milwaukee County War Memorial Center
750 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
Hours: Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission: FREE
This is a very thoughtful write-up. I try to do Memorial Day/weekend justice as well. This year I went to the cemetery and placed carnations on soldier's graves. It's the least I can do once a year to say thank you.
Posted by: Yvonne | May 29, 2008 at 11:03 AM
I've been thinking all day of a response to this. Yvonne has said it all.
Posted by: wfbdoglover | May 29, 2008 at 02:52 PM
This was a nice write-up
Posted by: SuzieQ | June 02, 2008 at 12:11 PM