Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Remembrance Ceremony, Banners In Mokena

MOKENA, IL — Mokena will host a pair of upcoming events for the Memorial Day holiday which is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on Monday at Pioneer Cemetery and is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 27-29 this year. The ceremony will be hosted by William Martin VFW Post 725.

In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place at the VFW at 19852 Wolf Rd. Local residents are welcome to go to the VFW for hot dogs after the ceremony, organizers said. There will also be a dedication for Roy Manor and Fritz Guendling as they are added to the Memorial Plaque at noon.

On Friday, local officials will also honor those who served and who made sacrifices for the country. The Hometown Heroes Banner Program was launched earlier this year to honor current and former residents of the community who have served or are currently serving our country in any branch of the military.

This year, 22 banners will be displayed for our Heroes representing each branch of the armed services. Veterans and current service members of World War I, World War II, the Cold War, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam Conflict, the Persian Gulf War, and the current Global War on Terror will be honored.

As the observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit Mokena cemeteries and leave flowers at the graves of family members, regardless of whether they served in the military.

The history of Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, dates back to 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan called for a day of remembrance to honor the Northern lives lost amid battle during the Civil War that had ended just a few years earlier, according to History.com. As time passed, more and more people called it Memorial Day, and it became a federal holiday in 1971.

Waterloo, New York, is considered the birthplace of Memorial Day. The town’s observance on May 5, 1866, predated Logan’s call for a day of remembrance. Local businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags.

Until World War I, the holiday honored only those soldiers who died while fighting for the Union in the War, as Southern states honored their war dead on a separate day. After the 116,000-plus American deaths in World War I, the tradition changed to remember all who have died while serving in the military.

Every year, a national moment of remembrance is held at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. No matter where they are or what they’re doing, Americans are asked to pause for one minute in silence to remember military personnel who have given their lives in service to their country. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the midday time was chosen because it’s a time when many Americans will be enjoying their freedoms on a national holiday.