American Legion Auxiliary Unit 53 organized the The 2011 Memorial Day Program, held yesterday in the Veterans Plot of the Forest Lawn Cemetery. The guest speaker was the Honorable J. Howard Coble. The program included the presentation of floral tributes, singing, a reading of the roll of honor, and benediction. One of the most touching moments of the program, however, was when those who previously served bowed their heads in reflection as the Southeast High School JNROTC saluted those who gave their lives in service to country by firing rifles and and playing Taps.

Upon leaving the cemetery, we noticed a man in his lawn chair beside the grave of a loved one. Before the big movement of designing urban parks, at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century by Downing, Olmstead, and the likes (here), cemeteries played more of a role in our leisure time outdoors. It was commonplace to spend an afternoon, or to have a picnic, in a cemetery. Today, cemetery visits are largely limited to military holidays and funerals. If you want to teach a young child about the meaning of Memorial Day, it is not too late to visit the Veteran’s Section of Forest Lawn Cemetery. It is ablaze with American flags and red, white, & blue bouquets.