We Remember . . .

Memorial Day was established to honor the fallen from the Civil War. Many towns lay claim to the fact that they were the first to have a Memorial Day for those soldiers but my favorite story is of the Southern ladies who laid flowers on the graves of fallen Yankee soldiers buried in the South.

After World War I, it was established that Memorial Day would be not just for Civil War soldiers but for all of those who died fighting in any War.

This poem by Monia Michael says so much:

We cherish too, the Poppy red

That grows on field where valor led,

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies.

We, in Fort Scott, are proud to have a National Cemetery and we're even prouder that it is the first.

Not all who are buried here are fallen soldiers, but all who are buried here served their country and served it well.

The Avenue of Flags leading up to the cemetery tugs at your heart. The placing of the flags is a labor of love for our local VFW Chapter. It makes the cemetery seem even more special on this, the day that we honor our soldiers who fought so gallantly for that flag.